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Chayei Sarah

May 13, 2024

Chayei Sarah, Chaye Sarah, Ḥayye Sarah, or Ḥayyei Sara (חַיֵּי שָׂרָה‎—Hebrew for "life of Sarah," the first words in the parashah), is the fifth weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה‎, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 23:1–25:18. The parashah tells the stories of Abraham's negotiations to purchase a burial place for his wife Sarah and his servant's mission to find a wife for Abraham's son Isaac.

The parashah is made up of 5,314 Hebrew letters, 1,402 Hebrew words, 105 verses, and 171 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה‎, Sefer Torah).[1] Jews read it on the fifth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in November, or on rare occasion in late October.[2]

Burial of Sarah (engraving by Gustave Doré from the 1865 La Sainte Bible)

Readings edit

In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות‎, aliyot. In the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible, Parashat Chayei Sarah has three "open portion" (פתוחה‎, petuchah) divisions (roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often abbreviated with the Hebrew letter פ‎ (peh)). Parashat Chayei Sarah has one "closed portion" (סתומה‎, setumah) division (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter ס‎ (samekh)) within the "open portion" division of the second reading. The long first open portion spans the first five readings. The second open portion coincides with the sixth reading. And the third open portion coincides with the seventh reading.[3]

 
Abraham Weighs Silver (illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible)

First reading—Genesis 23:1–16 edit

In the first reading, Sarah lived 127 years and died in Hebron, and Abraham mourned for her.[4] Abraham asked the Hittites to sell him a burial site, and the Hittites invited him to bury his dead in the choicest of their burial places.[5] Abraham asked the Hittites to intercede for him with Ephron son of Zohar to sell Abraham the cave of Machpelah at full price.[6] Before the Hittites at the town gate, Ephron offered to give Abraham the field and the cave that was in it, but Abraham insisted on paying the price of the land.[7] Ephron named the value of the land at 400 shekels of silver and Abraham accepted Ephron's terms, gave him the silver, and purchased the land.[8] The first reading ends here.[9]

Second reading—Genesis 23:17–24:9 edit

In the second reading, Abraham thus established his title to the land through purchase, and he buried Sarah in the cave.[10] Abraham was old, and instructed his senior servant to put his hand under Abraham's thigh and swear by God that he would not take a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites, but would go to the land of Abraham's birth to get Isaac a wife.[11] The servant asked if the woman did not consent to follow him to Canaan, should he take Isaac back to the land from which Abraham came?[12] Abraham told him on no account to take Isaac back there, for God—who took Abraham from there and promised Abraham the land of Canaan for his offspring—would send an angel before the servant and allow him successfully to get a wife for Isaac from there, and if the woman did not consent to follow him, he would then be clear of his oath.[13] So the servant put his hand under Abraham's thigh and swore to him as Abraham had asked.[14] The second reading ends here.[15]

 
Eliezer and Rebekah (engraving by Gustave Doré from the 1865 La Sainte Bible)

Third reading—Genesis 24:10–26 edit

In the third reading, the servant took Abraham's bounty and ten of Abraham's camels and traveled to Aram-Naharaim, the city of Nahor.[14] He made the camels kneel by the well outside the city at evening, when women come out to draw water.[16] The servant asked God to grant that the maiden whom he would ask to draw water for him and who replied by offering also to water his camels might be the one whom God had decreed for Isaac.[17] He had scarcely finished speaking when Rebekah, the beautiful virgin daughter of Abraham's nephew Bethuel, came out with her jar on her shoulder, went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up.[18] The servant ran toward her and asked to sip a little water from her jar, and she quickly let him drink and when he had drunk his fill, she offered to draw water for his camels until they finished drinking.[19] When the camels had finished drinking, the servant took a gold nose-ring and two gold bands for her arms, and asked her whose daughter she was and whether there was room in her father's house for him to spend the night.[20] She identified herself and told him that there was plenty of straw and feed and room at her home for him to spend the night.[21] The servant bowed low to God.[22] The third reading ends here.[23]

Fourth reading—Genesis 24:27–52 edit

In the fourth reading, the servant blessed God for steadfast faithfulness to Abraham.[24] Rebekah ran and told everything to her mother's household.[25] Rebekah's brother Laban ran out to the servant at the spring, and when he saw the nose-ring and the bands on Rebekah's arms, and when he heard his sister tell the story, Laban invited the servant to their house, had the camels unloaded and fed, and had water brought to bathe the feet of the servant and his party.[26] But the servant would not eat before he had told his tale.[27] The servant told how God had greatly blessed Abraham with sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and asses, and a son and sole heir.[28] The servant told how Abraham made him swear to go to Abraham's kindred to get Isaac a wife, and that God would send an angel to make his errand successful.[29] And the servant told how he met Rebekah at the well.[30] The servant then asked whether or not they meant to treat Abraham with true kindness, and Laban and Bethuel answered that the matter had been decreed by God and Rebekah could go and be Isaac's wife.[31] The servant bowed low to God.[32] The fourth reading ends here.[33]

 
Meeting of Isaac and Rebekah (engraving by Gustave Doré from the 1865 La Sainte Bible)

Fifth reading—Genesis 24:53–67 edit

In the fifth reading, the servant brought out silver, gold, and garments for Rebekah and presents for her brother and her mother.[34] Then the servant and his party ate, drank, and spent the night.[35] The next morning, the servant asked leave to return to Abraham, but Laban and her mother asked that Rebekah remain a period of time.[36] The servant persisted, so they called Rebekah to ask her, and she agreed to go.[37] So they blessed Rebekah—wishing that her children be thousands of myriads and seize the gates of their foes—and they sent off Rebekah and her nurse with the servant.[38] Isaac had just come back from the vicinity of Beer-lahai-roi to his home in the Negeb and was out walking in the field toward evening when he looked up and saw camels approaching.[39] Raising her eyes, Rebekah saw Isaac, alighted from the camel, and asked the servant who the man was.[40] The servant said that Isaac was his master, so she covered herself with her veil.[41] The servant told Isaac everything that had happened, and Isaac brought her into Sarah's tent and took her as his wife.[42] Isaac loved Rebekah, and found comfort after his mother's death.[43] The fifth reading and the long first open portion end here with the end of chapter 24.[44]

 
Isaac and Ishmael Bury Abraham (illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible)

Sixth reading—Genesis 25:1–11 edit

In the sixth reading, in chapter 25, Abraham took another wife, named Keturah, who bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.[45] Abraham willed all that he owned to Isaac, but to his sons by concubines he gave gifts while he was still living, and he sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the East.[46] Abraham lived 175 years and died old and contented.[47] Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah with Sarah.[48] After Abraham's death, God blessed Isaac and he settled near Beer-lahai-roi.[49] The sixth reading and the second open portion end here.[50]

Seventh reading—Genesis 25:12–18 edit

In the seventh reading, Ishmael had 12 sons, who became chieftains of 12 tribes.[51] In the maftir (מפטיר‎) reading that concludes the parashah, Ishmael lived 137 years and then died.[52] Ishmael's progeny dwelt in lands all the way from Havilah, near Egypt, to Asshur.[53] The seventh reading, the third open portion, and the parashah end here.[54]

Readings according to the triennial cycle edit

Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading read the parashah according to the following schedule:[55]

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
2022, 2025, 2028 . . . 2023, 2026, 2029 . . . 2024, 2027, 2030 . . .
Reading 23:1–24:9 24:10–52 24:53–25:18
1 23:1–4 24:10–14 24:53–58
2 23:5–7 24:15–20 24:59–61
3 23:8–12 24:21–26 24:62–67
4 23:13–16 24:27–33 25:1–6
5 23:17–20 24:34–41 25:7–11
6 24:1–4 24:42–49 25:12–15
7 24:5–9 24:50–52 25:16–18
Maftir 24:5–9 24:50–52 25:16–18

In inner-Biblical interpretation edit

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:[56]

Genesis chapter 23 edit

Kiriath-arba, mentioned in Genesis 23:2, literally means “village of Arba.” Joshua 14:15 explains that Arba was the great man among the Anakites. Similarly, Joshua 15:13 reports that Arba was the father of Anak, and Joshua 21:11 tells that Arba was the father of the Anokites.

The 400 shekels of silver that Abraham paid Ephron the Hittite to buy the cave of Machpelah and adjoining land in Genesis 23:14–16 far exceeds the 100 pieces of silver that Jacob paid the children of Hamor for the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent outside the city of Shechem in Genesis 33:18–19; the 50 shekels of silver that King David paid Araunah the Jebusite for Araunah's threshing floor, oxen, and wood in 2 Samuel 24:18–24 (but 1 Chronicles 21:24 reports cost 600 shekels of gold); and the 17 shekels of silver that Jeremiah paid his cousin Hanamel for his field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin in Jeremiah 32:7–9.

The cave of Machpelah in which Genesis 23:18 reports Abraham buried Sarah later became the burial site for Abraham himself (as reported in Genesis 25:8–10) and thereafter Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob (as reported in Genesis 49:29–31).

Genesis chapter 24 edit

The story of Abraham's servant's mission to get a wife for Isaac is told twice, once by the narrator in Genesis 24:1–27, and then a second time by Abraham's servant in Genesis 24:34–48. Isaac Abrabanel and other commentators noted a number of differences between the two recountings.[57]

Genesis 24:1–27

As Told by the Narrator

Genesis 24:34–48

As Told by Abraham's Servant

1 And Abraham was old, well stricken in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 35 And the Lord has blessed my master greatly; and he is become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and men-servants and maid-servants, and camels and asses.

36 And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him has he given all that he has.

2 And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all that he had: "Put, I pray you, your hand under my thigh. 34 And he said: "I am Abraham's servant.
3 And I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. 37 And my master made me swear, saying: You shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell.
4 But you shall go to my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son, even for Isaac." 38 But you shall go to my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.
5 And the servant said to him: "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land; must I bring your son back to the land from which you came?" 39 And I said to my master: ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.'
6 And Abraham said to him: "Beware you that you do not bring my son back there.
7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my nativity, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying: ‘To your seed will I give this land'; He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 40 And he said to me: The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you, and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house;
8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from my oath; only you shall not bring my son back there." 41 then shall you be clear from my oath, when you come to my kindred; and if they do not give her to you, you shall be clear from my oath.
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed; having all good things of his master's in his hand; and he arose, and went to Aram-Naharaim, to the city of Nahor.
11 And he made the camels to kneel down without the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water.

12 And he said: "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray, good speed this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

42 And I came this day to the fountain, and said: ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You do prosper my way that I go:
13 Behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water

14 So let it come to pass, that the maiden to whom I shall say: ‘Let down your pitcher, I pray, that I may drink'; and she shall say: ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also'; let her be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant, even for Isaac; and thereby shall I know that You have shown kindness to my master."

43 behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and let it come to pass, that the maiden that comes forth to draw, to whom I shall say: ‘Give me, I pray, a little water from your pitcher to drink';

44 and she shall say to me: ‘Both you drink, and I will also draw for your camels'; let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.

15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

16 And the maiden was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her; and she went down to the fountain, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said: "Give me to drink, I pray, a little water of your pitcher."

45 And before I had done speaking to my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the fountain, and drew. And I said to her: ‘Let me drink, I pray.'
18 And she said: "Drink, my lord"; and she hastened, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said: "I will draw for your camels also, until they have done drinking." 20 And she hastened, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.

46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said: ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.' So I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
21 And the man looked steadfastly on her; holding his peace, to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;

23 and said: "Whose daughter are you? tell me, I pray. Is there room in your father's house for us to lodge in?" 24 And she said to him: "I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor."

47 And I asked her, and said: ‘Whose daughter are you?' And she said: ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' And I put the ring upon her nose, and the bracelets upon her hands.
25 She said moreover to him: "We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in."
26 And the man bowed his head, and prostrated himself before the Lord.

27 And he said: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master; as for me, the Lord has led me to the house of my master's brethren.'

48 And I bowed my head, and prostrated myself before the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son.

Abraham's servant's meeting (on behalf of Isaac) of Rebekah at the well in Genesis 24:11–27 is the Torah's first of several meetings at watering holes that lead to marriage. Also of the same type scene are the meeting of Jacob and Rachel at the well in Genesis 29:1–12 and the meeting of Moses and Zipporah at the well in Exodus 2:15–21. Each involves (1) a trip to a distant land, (2) a stop at a well, (3) a young woman coming to the well to draw water, (4) a heroic drawing of water, (5) the young woman going home to report to her family, (6) the visiting man brought to the family, and (7) a subsequent marriage.[58]

In early nonrabbinic interpretation edit

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:[59]

Genesis chapter 23 edit

The Book of Jubilees reported that Abraham endured ten trials and was found faithful and patient in spirit. Jubilees listed eight of the trials: (1) leaving his country, (2) the famine, (3) the wealth of kings, (4) his wife taken from him, (5) circumcision, (6) Hagar and Ishmael driven away, (7) the binding of Isaac, and (8) buying the land to bury Sarah.[60]

Genesis chapter 24 edit

Josephus reported that Rebekah told Abraham's servant, "my father was Bethuel, but he is dead; and Laban is my brother; and, together with my mother, takes care of all our family affairs, and is the guardian of my virginity."[61]

In classical rabbinic interpretation edit

The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud:[62]

Genesis chapter 23 edit

A Midrash noted that Genesis 23:1 recorded that "the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years" rather than "one-hundred-twenty-seven years," and deduced that as the righteous are whole and unblemished by sin, so are their years reported whole in the Bible. Thus the Midrash taught that at the age of 20, Sarah was as at the age of 7 in beauty, and at the age of 100, she was as at the age of 20 in sin (the age below which Providence does not punish for sin).[63]

Rabbi Haggai said in Rabbi Isaac's name that all of the Matriarchs were prophets.[64]

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana interpreted the words, "The sun rises, and the sun sets," in Ecclesiastes 1:5 to teach that before God causes the sun of one righteous person to set, God causes the sun of another righteous person to rise. Thus, a Midrash taught that before God allowed Sarah's sun to set, God caused Rebekah's sun to rise. Thus Genesis 22:20–23 first says, "Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children . . . and Bethuel begot Rebekah," and after that, Genesis 23:1 says, "and the lifetime of Sarah was a hundred years . . . ."[65]

Once while lecturing, Rabbi Akiva asked why Esther deserved to reign over 127 provinces (as indicated by Esther 1:1). Rabbi Akiva taught that the reason was this: Let Esther, the descendant of Sarah, who lived 127 years (as Genesis 23:1 reports), come and reign over 127 provinces.[66]

Noting that Genesis 23:2 reports that "Sarah died in Kiriat-arba," literally, "city of four," a Midrash taught that the city had four names—Eshcol, Mamre, Kiriat-arba, and Hebron. Midrash taught that it was called Kiriat-arba because four righteous men dwelt there—Aner, Eshcol, Mamre, and Abraham; four righteous men were circumcised there—Abraham, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; four righteous men were buried there—Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and four matriarchs were buried there—Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah.[67]

 
The Sacrifice of Isaac (painting circa 1590–1610 by Caravaggio)

A Midrash deduced from the words "Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her" in Genesis 23:2 that Abraham came directly from Mount Moriah and the binding of Isaac. The Midrash told that at the very moment in Genesis 22:11–12 that the angel of the Lord stayed Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, the Satan appeared to Sarah in the guise of Isaac. When Sarah saw him, she asked what Abraham had done to him. He told Sarah that Abraham had taken him to a mountain, built an altar, placed wood upon it, tied him down on it, and took a knife to slaughter him, and had God not told him not to lay a hand on him, Abraham would have slaughtered him. As soon as he finished speaking, Sarah's soul departed.[68] Similarly, reading Genesis 23:2, "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah," the Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer reported that Abraham came from Mount Moriah to find that Sarah had died. When Abraham set out from Mount Moriah in peace, the anger of Sammael (the Satan) was kindled, for he saw that his desire to frustrate Abraham's offering had not been realized. So Sammael told Sarah that Abraham had killed Isaac and offered him as a burnt offering upon the altar. Sarah began to weep and to cry aloud three times, corresponding to the three sustained notes (of the shofar), and she gave forth three howlings corresponding to the three disconnected short notes (of the shofar), and her soul fled, and she died.[69]

The Gemara deduced from the use of the verb "came" in the account of Genesis 23:2, "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her," that Abraham delayed Sarah's funeral until he could travel to where her body lay. The Gemara further taught that Sarah would have been pleased that Abraham delayed her funeral so that he could eulogize her.[70]

Rav Ashi deduced from Genesis 23:3 that as long as a person has the obligation to bury a body, it is as if the corpse lay before the person. Genesis 23:3 says: "And Abraham rose up from before his dead," indicating that he departed from the presence of Sarah's body. And then Genesis 23:4 says: "that I may bury my dead out of my sight," showing that Abraham still spoke as if Sarah's corpse were lying before him. (And this status affects a person's obligation to perform other commandments.)[71] Similarly, Rabbi Joḥanan taught that we learn from the words, "And Abraham rose up from before his dead and spoke," in Genesis 23:3 that one whose dead lies before him is exempt from reciting the Shema (as the verse implies that until Sarah's burial, Abraham did nothing but make arrangements for it).[72]

 
Satan Inflicting Plagues on Job (watercolor by William Blake from his 1826 Illustrations of the Book of Job)

The Gemara expanded on the conversation between God and Satan in Job 1:6–8 to teach that Abraham's patience in receiving the Promised Land even in the face of the need to buy land to bury his wife in Genesis 23:3–16 showed faith comparable to that of Job. Job 1:6–7 begins: "Now one day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came among them. And the Lord said to Satan: 'From where do you come?' Then Satan answered. . . ." The Gemara taught that Satan then told God: "Sovereign of the Universe, I have traversed the whole world and found none so faithful as Your servant Abraham. For You said to him, ‘Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for to you will I give it,'[73] and even so, when he was unable to find any place in which to bury Sarah until he bought one for 400 shekels of silver, he did not complain against Your ways." Only then did God say to Satan the words of Job 1:8, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is none like him in the earth . . . ."[74]

Rabbi Berekiah and Rabbi Ḥelbo taught in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Naḥman that the Vale of Siddim (mentioned in Genesis 14:3 in connection with the battle between the four kings and the five kings) was called the Valley of Shaveh (which means "as one") because there all the peoples of the world agreed as one, felled cedars, erected a large dais for Abraham, set him on top, and praised him, saying (in the words of Genesis 23:6,) "Hear us, my lord: you are a prince of God among us." They told Abraham that he was king over them and a god to them. But Abraham replied that the world did not lack its King, and the world did not lack its God.[75]

A Midrash taught that Abraham said (with the words of Genesis 22:1 and 22:11), "'Here I am'—ready for priesthood, ready for kingship" (ready to serve God in whatever role God chose), and Abraham attained both priesthood and kingship. He attained priesthood, as Psalm 110:4 says, "The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: 'You are a priest forever after the manner of Melchizedek." And he attained kingship, as Genesis 23:6 says, "You are a mighty prince among us."[76]

Rav and Samuel differed as to its meaning of "Machpelah"—meaning "double cave"—in Genesis 23:9. One held that the cave consisted of two chambers one within the other, and the other held that it consisted of a lower and upper chamber. According to one, the term "double cave" meant that it was the burial place of multiple couples—Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.[77]

 
Abraham bought a piece of land with a cave on it. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

Similarly, Rabbi Jehudah taught that the three Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob made covenants with the people of the Land of Israel. In Abraham's case, this is how it happened: When the three angels visited him (as reported in Genesis 18), Abraham ran to meet them and prepare for them a great banquet. He told Sarah to prepare cakes for them, but when Sarah was kneading, she perceived that the manner of women was upon her, so Abraham did not serve his visitors any of the cakes. Rather, Abraham ran to fetch a calf, but the calf fled from him and went into the cave of Machpelah. Abraham chased in after the calf and found Adam and Eve lying there upon their beds. Lights were kindled above them, and a sweet scent was upon them. Abraham consequently sought to get the cave as a burial possession. He spoke to the sons of Jebus to purchase the cave from them. The men did not accept his request at first. He began to bow down and prostrate himself to them, as Genesis 23:12 reports, "And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land." They told Abraham that they knew that in the future God would give all the land to Abraham and his descendants. Thus, they asked Abraham to make a covenant with them that Abraham's descendants would not take possession of the cities of the Jebusites, and they would sell him the cave of Machpelah as a perpetual possession. So Abraham made a covenant with them with an oath that the Israelites would not take possession of the city of the Jebusites (Jerusalem) without the consent of the Jebusites and then bought the cave of Machpelah as a perpetual possession, as Genesis 23:16 reports, "And Abraham hearkened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant." The Jebusites made images of copper inscribed with Abraham's covenant and set them up in the streets of the city. When the Israelites later came to the land, they wished to enter the city of the Jebusites (as reported in Joshua 25:8 and Judges 1:8), but they were unable to enter because of the sign of Abraham's covenant, as Judges 1:21 reports, "And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem." When David reigned, he wanted to enter the city of the Jebusites, but they did not allow him, as 2 Samuel 5:6 reports, "And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; who spoke to David, saying, ‘You shall not come in here.'" Although the Israelites were numerous, they were unable to capture the city because of the force of the sign of Abraham's covenant. David saw this and turned back, as 2 Samuel 5:9 reports, "And David dwelt in the stronghold" (not in the city). David's men told him that he would not be able to enter the city until he had removed all those images upon which Abraham's covenant was written. So David told his men that whoever would remove those images would be the chief. Joab the son of Zeruiah did so and became the chief, as 1 Chronicles 11:6 reports, "And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first and was made chief." Thereafter, David bought the city of the Jebusites for Israel with a deed for a perpetual possession, as 1 Chronicles 21:25 reports, "So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight."[78]

The Gemara deduced from the use of the term "take" in Genesis 23:13 that "taking" means by monetary exchange. And thus the Gemara deduced that money effects betrothal by noting the common use of "take" in Genesis 23:13 and in Deuteronomy 22:13, in the words, "If any man take a wife."[79]

Contrasting the behavior of Abraham and Epron, Rabbi Eleazar taught that the righteous promise little and perform much, whereas the wicked promise much and do not perform even little. The Gemara deduced the behavior of the wicked from Ephron, who in Genesis 23:15 said, "The land is worth 400 shekels of silver," but Genesis 23:16 reports, "And Abraham hearkened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, 400 shekels of silver, current money with the merchant," indicating that Ephron refused to accept anything but centenaria (which are more valuable than ordinary shekels). And the Gemara deduced the behavior of the righteous from Abraham, who in Genesis 18:5 offered, "And I will fetch a morsel of bread," but Genesis 18:7 reports, "And Abraham ran to the herd," doing much more than he offered.[80]

Rabbi Judan the son of Rabbi Simon cited Abraham's purchase of the cave at Machpelah as one of three places where Scripture reports purchases in the Land of Israel, thus providing a defense against the nations of the world who might taunt the Jews, saying that the Israelites had stolen the Land. The three instances are: the cave of Machpelah, of which Genesis 23:16 reports, "And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver"; Joseph's Tomb, of which Genesis 33:19 reports, "And he bought the parcel of ground"; and the Temple, of which 1 Chronicles 21:25 reports, "So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold."[81]

The Mishnah attributed to Abraham a good eye (a magnanimous spirit in financial matters, based, for example, on Abraham's generous and ungrudging nature in his dealings with Ephron the Hittite in Genesis 23:16).[82]

Rabbi Ḥaninah taught that every time the Torah refers to silver coin (שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף‎, shekel kesef) without any qualification, it means a sela (shekel), except for the silver coin that Genesis 23:16 cites in the transaction with Ephron. For although Genesis 23:16 mentions the coinage without qualification, it means centenaria (worth 100 shekels each), because Genesis 23:16 says: "400 shekels of silver current money with the merchant" (implying that wherever there were merchants, these shekels had to be accepted as such), and there is a place where they call centenaria "shekels."[83]

Rav Judah said in the name of Rav that Genesis 23:17, which says, "So the field of Efron which was in Machpelah . . . and all the trees that were in the field that were in the border thereof," indicates that Abraham in buying the field acquired all the small trees that were identified by their surrounding boundary. But the purchase did not include those large, distinctive trees that did not require a surrounding boundary for people to know to whom they belonged. And Rav Mesharsheya deduced from Genesis 23:17 that one who buys a field also gains title to the border strips and the trees on these strips surrounding the field.[84]

 
Abraham was very old. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

Genesis chapter 24 edit

The Mishnah and Tosefta deduced from Genesis 24:1 that God blessed Abraham in his old age because (as the Mishnah deduced from Genesis 26:5) he kept the entire Torah even before it was revealed.[85] And the Tosefta deduced from the contrast between the plenty indicated in Genesis 24:1 and the famine indicated in Genesis 26:1 that God gave the people food and drink and a glimpse of the world to come while the righteous Abraham was alive, so that the people might understand how much they had lost when he was gone.[86]

Rabbi Ḥama ben Ḥanina taught that our ancestors were never without a scholars' council. Abraham was an elder and a member of the scholars' council, as Genesis 24:1 says, "And Abraham was an elder (זָקֵן‎, zaken) well stricken in age." Eliezer, Abraham's servant, was an elder and a member of the scholars' council, as Genesis 24:2 says, "And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all he had," which Rabbi Eleazar explained to mean that he ruled over—and thus knew and had control of—the Torah of his master. Isaac was an elder and a member of the scholars' council, as Genesis 27:1 says: "And it came to pass when Isaac was an elder (זָקֵן‎, zaken)." Jacob was an elder and a member of the scholars' council, as Genesis 48:10 says, "Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age (זֹּקֶן‎, zoken)." In Egypt they had the scholars' council, as Exodus 3:16 says, "Go and gather the elders of Israel together." And in the Wilderness, they had the scholars' council, as in Numbers 11:16, God directed Moses to "Gather . . . 70 men of the elders of Israel."[87]

 
Abraham ordered his servant to get a wife for Isaac. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

The Gemara read the words of Genesis 24:1, "And the Lord blessed Abraham with everything," to support the Sages' teaching that God gave three people in this world a taste of the World To Come—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Of Isaac, Genesis 27:33 says, "And I have eaten from everything." And of Jacob, Genesis 33:11 says, "Because I have everything." Already in their lifetimes they merited everything, that is perfection. The Gemara read these three verses also to teach that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were three people over whom the evil inclination had no sway, as Scripture says about them, respectively, "with everything," "from everything," and "everything," and the completeness of their blessings meant that they did not have to contend with their evil inclinations. And the Gemara read these same three verses to teach that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were three of six people over whom the Angel of Death had no sway in their demise—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. As Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were blessed with everything, the Gemara reasoned, they were certainly spared the anguish of the Angel of Death.[88]

 
Abraham's Servant Swears (illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible)

The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer identified the unnamed steward of Abraham's household in Genesis 24:2 with Abraham's servant Eliezer introduced in Genesis 15:2. The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer told that when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees, all the magnates of the kingdom gave him gifts, and Nimrod gave Abraham Nimrod's first-born son Eliezer as a perpetual slave. After Eliezer had dealt kindly with Isaac, he set Eliezer free, and God gave Eliezer his reward in this world by raising him up to become a king—Og, king of Bashan.[89]

The Tosefta reported that Jewish judicial proceedings adopted the oath that Abraham imposed in Genesis 24:3.[90] And Rav Judah said that Rav said that the judge adjures the witness with the oath stated in Genesis 24:3, "And I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven." Ravina explained that this accorded with the view of Rabbi Ḥaninah bar Idi, who said that Jewish judicial proceedings require swearing by the Name of God. Rav Ashi replied that one might even say that it accorded with the view of the Rabbis, who said that a witness can be adjured with a Substitute for the Name of God. They concluded that the witness needs to hold something sacred in his hand, as Abraham's servant did when in Genesis 24:9 he put his hand under Abraham's thigh and held Abraham's circumcision. Rava said that a judge who adjures by "the Lord God of heaven" without having the witness hold a sacred object errs and must repeat the swearing correctly. Rav Papa said that a judge who adjures with tefillin errs and must repeat the swearing. The law follows Rava, but not Rav Papa, as tefillin are considered sacred.[91]

Rabbi Haggai observed in Rabbi Isaac's name that Abraham prophesied in Genesis 24:7 when he said, "He will send His angel before you." Rabbi Haggai taught in Rabbi Isaac's name that even though Abraham was capable of prophesy, he still needed God's kindness, as Genesis 24:12 reports Abraham's servant praying, "And show kindness to my master Abraham." Rabbi Haggai concluded in Rabbi Isaac's name that all need God's kindness.[92]

Reading the report of Genesis 24:10, "And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master," a Midrash noted that mention that they were "of the camels of his master" is apparently superfluous. The Midrash explained that Abraham's camels were distinguishable wherever they went, because they were led out muzzled so as not to graze in other people's fields.[93]

Reading the report of Genesis 24:10 that Abraham's servant had "all the goods of his master's in his hand," Rabbi Ḥelbo explained that this was a deed of gift (made by Abraham of all his wealth to Isaac, so that a bride would be more eager to marry him).[93] Similarly, Rabbi Simeon (or some say Rabbi Shemajah) taught that Abraham wrote a will that bequeathed all that he had as an inheritance to Isaac, as Genesis 25:5 says, "And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac." Abraham took the document and gave to Eliezer, his servant, who reasoned that since the document was in his hand, all Abraham's money was in his hand, so that he might go and be recommended thereby in Abraham's father's house and with his family.[94]

 
The servant stopped at the well. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

Reading the report of the servant's travels in Genesis 24:10, the Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that from Kiriat Arba to Haran was a journey of 17 days, but Abraham's servant came to Haran in three hours. The servant was astonished that he had arrived on the same day and said (as reported in Genesis 24:42), "And I came this day to the fountain." Rabbi Abbahu taught that God wished to show loving-kindness to Isaac, and he sent an angel before Eliezer to shorten the way for him, so that the servant came to Haran in three hours.[94] Similarly, Rabbi Berekiah taught in Rabbi Isaac's name that the words of Genesis 24:42, "And I came this day to the fountain," mean that Abraham's servant set out that day and miraculously arrived the same day. The Midrash thus counted Abraham's servant along with Jacob and Abishai the son of Zeruiah as men who miraculously traveled long distances in a short time when the earth trembled, closing gaps and thereby speeding them along.[93] And similarly, the Rabbis read the words "And I came this day to the well" in Genesis 24:42 to imply that Eliezer had set out that day from Abraham's household and arrived on the same day in Aram-Naharaim. The Rabbis thus taught that the earth shrank to speed Eliezer's journey, as it would again for Jacob (as implied in Genesis 28:10–11) and Abishai the son of Zeruiah.[95]

A Midrash asked why, in Genesis 24:11, Abraham's servant stopped by the well. The Midrash explained that he thus followed the usual practice: Whoever seeks a neighbor sits at the water and find the neighbor there, as everyone eventually comes to the water. The Midrash noted that all the righteous who left their homes went to wells. In addition to Abraham's servant in Genesis 24:11, Genesis 29:2 says of Jacob, "And behold a well in the field," and Exodus 2:15 reports of Moses, "He sat down by a well."[96]

 
The servant prayed that the Lord would help him. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

Reading of the servant's plan in Genesis 24:11, "At the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water," Rav Huna asked: When a man goes to take a wife and he hears dogs barking, can he then understand what they are saying? Rav Huna taught that there was just as little reason in the servant's plan, "At the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water."[97]

 
The Return of Jephtha (painting circa 1700–1725 by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini)

Reading the servant's test in Genesis 24:14, "And she may say, 'Drink,'" a Midrash asked why the servant made this the sign that would prove her to be the one (in the words of Genesis 24:44) "whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son." The Midrash explained that the servant knew that if she answered that way, she would be a righteous woman, eager to show hospitality, just like Abraham and Sarah.[98]

Rabbi Samuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Jonathan that Abraham's servant Eliezer made an improper request when in Genesis 24:14 he asked God to grant that the young woman whom he would ask to draw water for him and who replied by offering also to water his camels might be the one whom God had decreed for Isaac. Rabbi Samuel asked what would have happened if she had happened to be lame or blind, and concluded that Eliezer was fortunate that Providence answered him by sending Rebekah to meet him. Rabbi Samuel compared Eliezer's request to the improvident oaths that Saul made in 1 Samuel 17:25 when he promised his daughter to the man who would kill Goliath and that Jephthah made in Judges 11:31 when he promised to sacrifice whatever came out of his house to meet him on his return.[99] Similarly, a Midrash taught that Abraham's servant was one of four who asked improperly—Eliezer, Caleb, Saul, and Jepthah. The Midrash asked: What if a slave woman had done as Eliezer had asked? Yet the Midrash taught that God prepared Rebekah for him and granted his request in a fitting manner.[100] And Rav cited Eliezer's request in Genesis 24:14 along with the omen sought by Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14:9–10 as forms of improper acts of divination.[101]

 
Rebecca and Eliezer (painting circa 1652 by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo)

Rabbi Simeon bar Yoḥai taught that God answered three men even while their petition was still on their lips: Abraham's servant Eliezer, Moses, and Solomon. Regarding Eliezer, Genesis 24:15 reports: "And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out." Regarding Moses, Numbers 16:31 reports: "And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground did cleave asunder." And with regard to Solomon, 2 Chronicles 7:1 reports: "Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven."[102]

 
Eliezer and Rebecca (18th Century painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo)

The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that God saw that everything miraculously came together for Abraham's servant. A daughter of kings, Rebekah, who in all her life had never gone forth to draw water, went out to draw water at that hour. And the girl, who did not know who Abraham's servant was, accepted his proposal to be married to Isaac. The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that this happened because she had been destined for him from birth.[103]

Rav Naḥman bar Isaac cited a Tanna that interpreted Genesis 24:16 to teach that Rebekah was virgin between the ages of 12 and 12½ (a naarah) when Abraham's servant encountered her.[104]

Rabbi Isaac called Bethuel a wicked man.[105] A Midrash identified Bethuel as a king.[106]

 
Isaac's servant trying the bracelet on Rebecca's arm (painting circa 1800 by Benjamin West)

Rava asked Rabba bar Mari from where people derived the saying: If you are aware of a derogatory matter about yourself, say it first before others say it about you. Rabba bar Mari answered that the source was what Eliezer said in Genesis 24:34, "And he said: 'I am Abraham's servant,'" immediately proclaiming that he was a servant.[107]

A Midrash taught that when Rebekah’s family heard Abraham's servant say in Genesis 24:34, "I am Abraham's servant," they hid their faces in shame and fear, realizing that if this was the servant, how much more so would be his master. They reasoned that one could judge a lion from its welp and concluded that they could not overcome him. Thereupon, they removed the poisoned food that they had given Abraham's servant.[108]

Rav in the name of Rabbi Reuben ben Estrobile cited Laban's and Bethuel's response to Abraham's servant that "The matter was decreed by the Lord" in Genesis 24:50–51 as a proof text for the proposition that God destines a woman and a man for each other in marriage.[109] Rabbi Joshua the son of Rabbi Nehemiah in the name of Rabbi Ḥaninah ben Isaac said that the decree with regard to Rebekah that Laban and Bethuel acknowledged came from Mount Moriah.[110]

But the Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that Laban and Bethuel said in Genesis 24:50, "The thing proceeds from the Lord: We cannot speak to you bad or good," only because since this word had come forth from God, they could not prevent it.[111]

 
Rebecca Meets Isaac by the Way (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

Noting that Genesis 24:55 reports that the next day, Rebekah's "brother and her mother said, ‘Let the maiden remain with us some ten days,'" the Rabbis asked where Bethuel was. The Midrash concluded that Bethuel wished to hinder Rebekah's marriage, and so he was smitten during the night.[112] The Rabbis said that Abraham's servant did not disclose Bethuel's fate to Isaac.[113]

 
Rebekah Sees Isaac (woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld from the 1860 Die Bibel in Bildern)

Rav Ḥisda interpreted the word "days" (יָמִים‎, yamim) in Genesis 24:55 to mean "a year." Genesis 24:55 says, "And her brother and her mother said: ‘Let the maiden abide with us yamim, at the least ten." The Gemara reasoned that if יָמִים‎, yamim, in Genesis 24:55 means "days" and thus to imply "two days" (as the plural implies more than one), then Genesis 24:55 would report Rebekah's brother and mother suggesting first two days, and then when Eliezer said that that was too long, nonsensically suggesting ten days. The Gemara thus deduced that יָמִים‎, yamim, must mean "a year," as Leviticus 25:29 implies when it says, "if a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; for a full year (יָמִים‎, yamim) shall he have the right of redemption." Thus Genesis 24:55 might mean, "Let the maiden abide with us a year, or at the least ten months." The Gemara then suggested that יָמִים‎, yamim, might mean "a month," as Numbers 11:20 suggests when it uses the phrase "a month of days (יָמִים‎, yamim)." The Gemara concluded, however, that יָמִים‎, yamim, means "a month" only when the term "month" is specifically mentioned, but otherwise means either "days" (at least two) or "a year."[114] Similarly, the Mishnah taught that they allowed a virgin 12 months to prepare for her wedding after her fiancé told her to prepare.[115]

Reading the servant's words to Laban in Genesis 24:56, "Do not hinder me, for the Lord has prospered my way," the Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer told that the servant rose early in the morning and saw the angel that had accompanied him standing and waiting for him in the street. The servant then told Laban and his friends the words of Genesis 24:56 and that the man who came with him the day before to prosper his way was standing and waiting for him.[111]

A Midrash noted that in Genesis 24:57, Rebekah's brother and mother determined to ask Rebekah if she assented to going with Abraham's servant to marry Isaac. The Midrash deduced from this that a fatherless maiden may not be given in marriage without her consent.[112]

 
Rebekah has come to the land of Canaan (illustration from the 1897 Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us by Charles Foster)

In Genesis 24:58, Rebekah's brother and mother "called Rebekah, and said to her: ‘Will you go?'" Rabbi Uanina, the son of Rav Adda, said in Rabbi Isaac's name that Rebekah's brother and mother hinted to Rebekah (putting the question in a tone of surprise), "Will you (really) go?" "And she said: ‘I will go.'" Rebekah did not simply say "yes," but replied that she would go, in spite of her brother and mother, whether they wished it or not.[112]

 
Rebecca lights off the Camel (illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible)

The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that Laban and his family ate and drank at a bridal banquet for Rebekah. And then, like an officiant who stands and blesses a bride in her bridal canopy, they stood and blessed Rebekah their sister on her upcoming wedding to Isaac, as Genesis 24:60 reports, "And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, ‘Our sister . . . .'"[111]

The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that the servant left Haran at noon and took Rebekah and her nurse Deborah riding on the camels. So that the servant would not be alone with the maiden Rebekah by night, the earth once again contracted before them, and in three hours, they came to Hebron at the time of the afternoon prayer (at 3 p.m.). Isaac had gone forth to say the afternoon prayer, as it is said in Genesis 24:63, "And Isaac went forth to meditate in the field towards evening."[116]

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi (according to the Jerusalem Talmud) or a Baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yose the son of Rabbi Ḥanina (according to the Babylonian Talmud) said that the three daily prayers derived from the Patriarchs, and cited Genesis 24:63 for the proposition that Jews derived the afternoon prayer from Isaac, arguing that within the meaning of Genesis 24:63, "speak" meant "pray," just as it did in Psalm 102:1.[117] Thus, interpreting Genesis 24:64, Rav Huna taught that when Rebekah first saw Isaac, she saw his hand stretched out in prayer.[113]

 
Isaac loved Rebekah. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

Rabbi José taught that Isaac observed three years of mourning for his mother. After three years he married Rebekah and forgot the mourning for his mother. Hence Rabbi José taught that until a man marries a wife, his love centers on his parents. When he marries a wife, he bestows his love upon his wife, as Genesis 2:24 says, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and he shall cleave unto his wife."[118]

A Midrash taught that as long as Sarah lived, a cloud (signifying the Divine Presence) hung over her tent. When she died, the cloud disappeared. But when Rebekah came, it returned. As long as Sarah lived, her doors were wide open. At her death that liberality ceased. But when Rebekah came, that openhandedness returned. As long as Sarah lived, there was a blessing on her dough, and the lamp used to burn from the evening of the Sabbath until the evening of the following Sabbath. When she died, these ceased. But when Rebekah came, they returned. And so when Isaac saw Rebekah following in his mother Sarah's footsteps, separating her challah in cleanness and handling her dough in cleanness (rereading the words of Genesis 24:67), "Isaac brought her into the tent, (and, behold, she was like) his mother Sarah."[119]

Rabbi Judan read Genesis 24:67 to teach a rule of propriety: If a man has grown-up sons (and both the man and his sons wish to marry), he must first see that his sons marry and then take a wife himself. Rabbi Judan derived this from Abraham's example, for first Genesis 24:67 says, "And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent," and after that, Genesis 25:1 says, "And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah."[119]

Genesis chapter 25 edit

Rabbi Judah said that Keturah was another name for Hagar.[120]

Rabbi Judah, Rabbi Nehemiah, and the Rabbis differed about the meaning of Genesis 25:5, "And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac." Rabbi Judah said that Abraham gave Isaac the birthright. Rabbi Nehemiah said that Abraham gave the power of blessing granted to Abraham in Genesis 12:2. The Rabbis said that Abraham gave the privilege of being buried in the cave of Machpelah and a deed of gift. Rabbi Judah the son of Rabbi Simon, Rabbi Berekiah, and Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Ḥama the son of Rabbi Ḥanina taught that Abraham did not bless Isaac but gave him gifts. Rabbi Ḥama likened this to a king who had an orchard, which he entrusted to a steward. The orchard contained two trees that were intertwined, and one of which yielded life-giving fruit and the other a deadly poison. The steward thought that if he watered the life-bearing tree, the death-bearing one would flourish with it; while if he did not water the death-bearing tree, the life-bearing could not survive. On reflection, the steward decided that his position required him to do his duty, and whatever the owner of the orchard wished to do, he could do. In like manner, Abraham argued that if he blessed Isaac, the children of Ishmael and of Keturah would also be blessed; while if he did not bless the children of Ishmael and Keturah, he could not bless Isaac. On reflection, he decided that he was only flesh; he would do his duty, and whatever God wished to do, God would do. Consequently, when Abraham died, God appeared to Isaac and blessed him, as Genesis 25:11 reports, "And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son."[121]

 
Alexander the Great (Hellenistic marble bust of the 2nd-1st century BCE in the British Museum)

A Midrash told that the Ishmaelites came before Alexander the Great to dispute the birthright with Israel, accompanied by the Canaanites and the Egyptians. The Ishmaelites based their claim on Deuteronomy 21:17, "But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated," and Ishmael was the firstborn. Gebiah the son of Kosem representing the Jews, asked Alexander whether a man could not do as he wished to his sons. When Alexander replied that a man could, Gebiah quoted Genesis 25:5, "And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac." The Ishmaelites asked where the deed of gift to his other sons was. Gebiah replied by quoting Genesis 25:7, "But to the sons of the concubines, whom Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts." Thereupon the Ishmaelites departed in shame.[122]

Rabbi Ḥama son of Rabbi Ḥaninah taught that Genesis 25:11 shows God comforting the mourning Isaac, and thus demonstrates one of God's attributes that humans should emulate. Rabbi Ḥama son of Rabbi Ḥaninah asked what Deuteronomy 13:5 means in the text, "You shall walk after the Lord your God." How can a human being walk after God, when Deuteronomy 4:24 says, "[T]he Lord your God is a devouring fire"? Rabbi Ḥama son of Rabbi Ḥaninah explained that the command to walk after God means to walk after the attributes of God. As God clothes the naked—for Genesis 3:21 says, "And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skin and clothed them"—so should we also clothe the naked. God visited the sick—for Genesis 18:1 says, "And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre" (after Abraham was circumcised in Genesis 17:26.)—so should we also visit the sick. God comforted mourners—for Genesis 25:11 says, "And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son"—so should we also comfort mourners. God buried the dead—for Deuteronomy 34:6 says, "And He buried him in the valley"—so should we also bury the dead.[123] Similarly, the Sifre on Deuteronomy 11:22 taught that to walk in God's ways means to be (in the words of Exodus 34:6) "merciful and gracious."[124]

In medieval Jewish interpretation edit

The parashah is discussed in these medieval Jewish sources:[125]

Genesis chapter 24 edit

Baḥya ibn Paquda taught that because humans cannot understand anything about God except for God’s Name and that God exists, Abraham associated God’s Name with heaven and earth when he said in Genesis 24:3, "And I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth."[126]

 
The Title Page of the Zohar

Abraham ibn Ezra read the words “He will send His angel before you” in Genesis 24:7 as a prayer. Ibn Ezra argued that if it were a prophecy, Abraham would not have said in Genesis 24:8, “And if the woman is not willing to follow you . . . .”[127]

The Zohar taught that when Abraham's servant reached Haran and met Rebekah (in the words of Genesis 24:11) "at the time of evening," it was the time of the afternoon (מִנְחָה‎, mincha) prayer. Thus, the moment when Isaac began the afternoon prayer coincided with the moment when Abraham's servant encountered Rebekah. So, too, Rebekah came to Isaac (as reported in Genesis 24:64) at the very moment of Isaac's afternoon prayer.[128]

 
Maimonides

Reading Genesis 24:14, Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno distinguished what Abraham's servant did from divination. According to Sforno, Abraham's servant did not make what he said a sign whereby he might recognize Isaac's destined wife, because that would be divination; rather he prayed that it might occur the way that he described. If an individual says something not as a prayer, but in the nature of, "If such-and-such happens, then I shall do this," then the individual is guilty of divination.[129]

The Zohar taught that Rabbi Simeon discoursed on Malachi 1:6, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master,” saying that Eliezer illustrated a servant's honoring his master by carrying out all Abraham's wishes and paying him great respect, as Genesis 24:34–35 reports, “And he said, ‘I am Abraham’s servant; and the Lord blessed my master Abraham.’” Eliezer had with him silver, gold, precious stones, and camels, and was himself quite handsome; yet he did not present himself as Abraham’s friend or family, but openly declared, “I am the servant of Abraham,” in order to extol his master and make him an object of honor in the eyes of Rebekah's family.[130]

Maimonides cited Laban and Bethuel's words regarding Rebekah in Genesis 24:51, "Let her be a wife to the son of your master, as the Lord spoke," as an example of the proposition that Scripture ascribes to God events evidently due to chance.[131]

Genesis chapter 25 edit

Rashbam identified the "concubines" to whom Genesis 25:6 refers as Hagar and Keturah.[132]

The Zohar, however, deduced from the plural of "concubines" in Genesis 25:6 that Abraham had two concubines beside Sarah and Hagar and thus like Jacob had four spouses.[133]

In modern interpretation edit

The parashah is discussed in these modern sources:

Genesis chapter 23 edit

John Van Seters argued that the Abraham cycle was a postexilic invention of the 5th century CE or later.[134]

Genesis chapter 24 edit

Genesis 24:22 discusses a gold ring of half a shekel or a bekah (בֶּקַע‎) in weight and gold bracelets of ten shekels in weight. This table translates units of weight used in the Bible into their modern equivalents:[135]

Weight Measurements in the Bible
Unit Texts Ancient Equivalent Modern Equivalent
gerah (גֵּרָה‎) Exodus 30:13; Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47; Numbers 18:16; Ezekiel 45:12 1/20 shekel 0.6 gram; 0.02 ounce
bekah (בֶּקַע‎) Genesis 24:22; Exodus 38:26 10 gerahs; half shekel 6 grams; 0.21 ounce
pim (פִים‎) 1 Samuel 13:21 2/3 shekel 8 grams; 0.28 ounce
shekel (שֶּׁקֶל‎) Exodus 21:32; 30:13, 15, 24; 38:24, 25, 26, 29 20 gerahs; 2 bekahs 12 grams; 0.42 ounce
mina (maneh, מָּנֶה‎) 1 Kings 10:17; Ezekiel 45:12; Ezra 2:69; Nehemiah 7:70 50 shekels 0.6 kilogram; 1.32 pounds
talent (kikar, כִּכָּר‎) Exodus 25:39; 37:24; 38:24, 25, 27, 29 3,000 shekels; 60 minas 36 kilograms; 79.4 pounds

Commandments edit

 
Shlomo Ganzfried, editor of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are no commandments in the parashah.[136]

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch taught that people who have animals who are dependent on them for their food are prohibited from eating until they feed their animals, based on Deuteronomy 11:15, "I will grant grass for your cattle in your field, that you may eat and be satisfied," which gives precedence to animals eating before people. But the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch noted that people came before animals with regard to drinking in Genesis 24:14, which says, "Drink and I will also draw for your camels," and Numbers 20:8 which says, "And you will provide water for the congregation and their cattle."

In the liturgy edit

The parashah is reflected in these parts of the Jewish liturgy:

Some Jews refer to the ten trials of Abraham in Genesis 12–25 as they study chapter 5 of Pirkei Avot on a Sabbath between Passover and Rosh Hashanah.[137]

In the Blessing after Meals (Birkat Hamazon), at the close of the fourth blessing (of thanks for God's goodness), Jews allude to God's blessing of the Patriarchs described in Genesis 24:1, 27:33 and 33:11.[138]

The Sages deduced from Isaac's "meditation . . . toward evening" in Genesis 24:63 that Isaac began the practice of the afternoon (מִנְחָה‎, mincha) prayer service.[139]

 
Room containing the cenotaph of Sarah in the Tomb of Machpela complex[140]

The Weekly Maqam edit

In the Weekly Maqam, Sephardi Jews each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parashah. For Parashat Chayei Sarah, Jews from Aleppo apply Maqam Hijaz, the maqam that expresses mourning and sadness in Syrian Jewish traditions, because the parashah contains the deaths of both Sarah and Abraham.[141] Jews from Damascus, meanwhile, will use Maqam Saba, which is generally the Maqam for painful occasions across the Arab world.[142]

Tomb of Sarah edit

 
Abishag at the bed of David, with Bathsheba, Solomon, and Nathan (from a Dutch Bible circa 1435)

The tomb of Sarah is located in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron along with that of Abraham and the other Biblical Matriarchs and Patriarchs.[143] Every year on the Shabbat in which Parashat Chayei Sarah is read in synagogue services, thousands of people visit the site.[144] Known as Shabbat Hebron, the weekend can attract more than 35,000 people.[140][145]

Haftarah edit

A haftarah is a text selected from the books of Nevi'im ("The Prophets") that is read publicly in the synagogue after the reading of the Torah on Sabbath and holiday mornings. The haftarah usually has a thematic link to the Torah reading that precedes it.

The specific text read following Parashah Chayei Sarah varies according to different traditions within Judaism. Examples are:

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Torah Stats For Bereshit". Akhlah Inc. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  2. ^ "Parashat Chayei Sara". Hebcal. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  3. ^ See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2006), pages 116–34.
  4. ^ Genesis 23:1–2.
  5. ^ Genesis 23:3–6.
  6. ^ Genesis 23:7–9.
  7. ^ Genesis 23:10–13.
  8. ^ Genesis 23:14–16.
  9. ^ See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 119.
  10. ^ Genesis 23:17–19.
  11. ^ Genesis 24:1–4.
  12. ^ Genesis 24:5–6.
  13. ^ Genesis 24:7–8.
  14. ^ a b Genesis 24:9.
  15. ^ See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 121.
  16. ^ Genesis 24:10.
  17. ^ Genesis 24:11–14.
  18. ^ Genesis 24:15–16.
  19. ^ Genesis 24:17–19.
  20. ^ Genesis 24:22–23.
  21. ^ Genesis 24:24–25.
  22. ^ Genesis 24:26.
  23. ^ See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 124.
  24. ^ Genesis 24:27.
  25. ^ Genesis 24:28.
  26. ^ Genesis 24:28–32.
  27. ^ Genesis 24:33.
  28. ^ Genesis 24:34–36.
  29. ^ Genesis 24:37–40.
  30. ^ Genesis 24:42–48.
  31. ^ Genesis 24:49–51.
  32. ^ Genesis 24:52.
  33. ^ See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 129.
  34. ^ Genesis 24:53.
  35. ^ Genesis 24:54.
  36. ^ Genesis 24:54–55.
  37. ^ Genesis 24:56–58.
  38. ^ Genesis 24:59–60.
  39. ^ Genesis 24:62–63.
  40. ^ Genesis 24:64–65.
  41. ^ Genesis 24:65.
  42. ^ Genesis 24:66–67.
  43. ^ Genesis 24:67.
  44. ^ See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 132.
  45. ^ Genesis 25:1–2.
  46. ^ Genesis 25:5–6.
  47. ^ Genesis 25:7–8.
  48. ^ Genesis 25:9–10.
  49. ^ Genesis 25:11.
  50. ^ See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 133.
  51. ^ Genesis 25:12–16.
  52. ^ Genesis 25:17.
  53. ^ Genesis 25:18.
  54. ^ See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 134.
  55. ^ See, e.g., Richard Eisenberg, "A Complete Triennial Cycle for Reading the Torah," in Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement: 1986–1990 (New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 2001), pages 383–418.
  56. ^ For more on inner-Biblical interpretation, see, e.g., Benjamin D. Sommer, "Inner-biblical Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), pages 1835–41.
  57. ^ See, e.g., Yehudah Nachshoni, Studies in the Weekly Parashah: The Classical Interpretations of Major Topics and Themes in the Torah (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1988), pages 114–16.
  58. ^ See Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18–50 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995), pages 254–55.
  59. ^ For more on early nonrabbinic interpretation, see, e.g., Esther Eshel, "Early Nonrabbinic Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition, pages 1841–59.
  60. ^ Jubilees 17:16–18; 19:2–9.
  61. ^ Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, book 1, chapter 16, paragraph 2(248).
  62. ^ For more on classical rabbinic interpretation, see, e.g., Yaakov Elman, "Classical Rabbinic Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition, pages 1859–78.
  63. ^ Genesis Rabbah 58:1.
  64. ^ Genesis Rabbah 67:9.
  65. ^ Genesis Rabbah 58:2.
  66. ^ Genesis Rabbah 58:3.
  67. ^ Genesis Rabbah 58:4.
  68. ^ Midrash Tanhuma Vayeira 23.
  69. ^ Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 32.
  70. ^ Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 46b.
  71. ^ Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 18a.
  72. ^ Genesis Rabbah 58:6.
  73. ^ Genesis 13:17.
  74. ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 15b.
  75. ^ Genesis Rabbah 42:5.
  76. ^ Genesis Rabbah 55:6.
  77. ^ Babylonian Talmud Eruvin 53a.
  78. ^ Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 36.
  79. ^ Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 2a–b, 4b.
  80. ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 87a.
  81. ^ Genesis Rabbah 79:7.
  82. ^ Mishnah Avot 5:19.
  83. ^ Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 50a.
  84. ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 69b.
  85. ^ Mishnah Kiddushin 4:14; Tosefta Kiddushin 5:17; Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 82a.
  86. ^ Tosefta Sotah 10:5.
  87. ^ Babylonian Talmud Yoma 28b.
  88. ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 16b–17a.
  89. ^ Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 16.
  90. ^ Tosefta Sotah 7:3.
  91. ^ Babylonian Talmud Shevuot 38b.
  92. ^ Genesis Rabbah 60:2.
  93. ^ a b c Genesis Rabbah 59:11.
  94. ^ a b Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 16.
  95. ^ Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 95a–b.
  96. ^ Midrash HaGadol (Yemen, 13th century), in Menahem M. Kasher, Torah Sheleimah, 24, 76 and note (Jerusalem, 1927), in Harry Freedman, translator, Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation (New York: American Biblical Encyclopedia Society, 1957), volume 3, page 195.
  97. ^ Genesis Rabbah 59:12.
  98. ^ Midrash Aggadah (12th century), in Menahem Kasher, Torah Sheleimah, 24, 86 (Jerusalem, 1927), in Harry Freedman, translator, Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation, volume 3, page 198.
  99. ^ Babylonian Talmud Taanit 4a.
  100. ^ Genesis Rabbah 60:3.
  101. ^ Babylonian Talmud Chullin 95b.
  102. ^ Genesis Rabbah 60:4.
  103. ^ Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 16.
  104. ^ Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 61b.
  105. ^ Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 64a; see also Genesis Rabbah 60:12, 63:4 (wicked, a rogue); Leviticus Rabbah 23:1 (a deceiver); Song of Songs Rabbah 2:2 (2:4) (a swindler).
  106. ^ Numbers Rabbah 14:11.
  107. ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Kamma 92b.
  108. ^ Midrash HaGadol, in Menahem M. Kasher, Torah Sheleimah, 24, 144–45, in Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation. Translated by Harry Freedman, volume 3, page 207.
  109. ^ Babylonian Talmud Mo'ed Katan 18b; see also Genesis Rabbah 68:3.
  110. ^ Genesis Rabbah 60:10.
  111. ^ a b c Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 16.
  112. ^ a b c Genesis Rabbah 60:12.
  113. ^ a b Genesis Rabbah 60:15.
  114. ^ Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 57b.
  115. ^ Mishnah Ketubot 5:2; Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 57a.
  116. ^ Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 16.
  117. ^ Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 43a; Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 26b; see also Genesis Rabbah 60:14.
  118. ^ Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 32.
  119. ^ a b Genesis Rabbah 60:16.
  120. ^ Genesis Rabbah 61:4.
  121. ^ Genesis Rabbah 61:6.
  122. ^ Genesis Rabbah 61:7.
  123. ^ Babylonian Talmud Sotah 14a.
  124. ^ Sifre to Deuteronomy 49:1.
  125. ^ For more on medieval Jewish interpretation, see, e.g., Barry D. Walfish, "Medieval Jewish Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition, pages 1891–915.
  126. ^ Baḥya ibn Paquda, Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart), section 1, chapter 10 (Zaragoza, Al-Andalus, circa 1080), in, e.g., Bachya ben Joseph ibn Paquda, Duties of the Heart, translated by Yehuda ibn Tibbon and Daniel Haberman (Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers, 1996), volume 1, pages 134–35.
  127. ^ Abraham ibn Ezra, Commentary on the Torah (mid-12th century), in, e.g., H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, translators, Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Genesis (Bereshit) (New York: Menorah Publishing Company, 1988), page 235.
  128. ^ Zohar, Bereishit, section 1, page 132a (Spain, late 13th century), in, e.g., Daniel C. Matt, translator, The Zohar: Pritzker Edition. (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2004), volume 2, page 240.
  129. ^ Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno. Commentary on the Torah. Venice, 1567, in, e.g., Sforno: Commentary on the Torah. Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz, page 120. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997.
  130. ^ Zohar, Bereishit, part 1, page 103a, in, e.g., The Zohar: Pritzker Edition. Translation and commentary by Daniel C. Matt, volume 2, pages 130–31.
  131. ^ Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed, part 3, chapter 48. Cairo, Egypt, 1190, in, e.g., Moses Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed. Translated by Michael Friedländer, 250. New York: Dover Publications, 1956.
  132. ^ Rashbam. Commentary on the Torah. Troyes, early 12th century, in, e.g., Rabbi Samuel Ben Meir's Commentary on Genesis: An Annotated Translation. Translated by Martin I. Lockshin, page 127. Lewiston, New York: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1989.
  133. ^ Zohar, part 1, pages 133a–b, in, e.g., The Zohar: Pritzker Edition. Translation and commentary by Daniel C. Matt, volume 2, page 251.
  134. ^ John Van Seters. Abraham in History and Tradition, pages 310–12. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1975.
  135. ^ Bruce Wells. "Exodus." In Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. Edited by John H. Walton, volume 1, page 258. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009.
  136. ^ Maimonides. Mishneh Torah. Cairo, Egypt, 1170–1180, in Maimonides. The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 2 volumes. London: Soncino Press, 1967. Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, volume 1, page 87. Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers, 1991.
  137. ^ Menachem Davis, editor, The Schottenstein Edition Siddur for the Sabbath and Festivals with an Interlinear Translation (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2002), pages 568–69.
  138. ^ Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Siddur for the Sabbath and Festivals with an Interlinear Translation, page 172; Reuven Hammer, Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals (New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 2003), page 342.
  139. ^ Reuven Hammer, Or Hadash, page 1.
  140. ^ a b "30,000 Jews expected for Sabbath prayer in Hebron". The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  141. ^ See Mark L. Kligman, "The Bible, Prayer, and Maqam: Extra-Musical Associations of Syrian Jews," Ethnomusicology, volume 45 (number 3) (Autumn 2001): pages 443–479; Mark L. Kligman, Maqam and Liturgy: Ritual, Music, and Aesthetics of Syrian Jews in Brooklyn (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2009).
  142. ^ "Pizmonim.org - Weekly Parasha". www.pizmonim.org. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  143. ^ "Cave of the Patriarchs (Machpelah): History, Structure, and Spiritual Significance". 16 July 2019.
  144. ^ Media, JNI (2015-11-06). "Thousands Camp in Hebron to Honor Matriarch Sarah —Israel News". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  145. ^ "Shabbat Chayei Sarah: V'Shavu Banim L'Gvulam". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2016-08-15.

Further reading edit

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:

Biblical edit

  • Genesis 29:1–12 (courtship at the well).
  • Exodus 2:15–21 (courtship at the well).

Early nonrabbinic edit

  • Apocalypse of Abraham. Circa 70–150 CE. Translated by R. Rubinkiewicz. In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Volume 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments. Edited by James H. Charlesworth, pages 681–705. New York: Anchor Bible, 1983.
  • Testament of Abraham. Circa 1st or 2nd century CE. Translated by E. P. Sanders. In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Volume 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments. Edited by James H. Charlesworth, pages 871–902. New York: Anchor Bible, 1983.

Classical rabbinic edit

  • Mishnah: Ketubot 5:2; Kiddushin 4:14; Avot 5:19. Land of Israel, circa 200 C.E. In, e.g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, pages 387–88, 498, 688–89. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988.
  • Tosefta: Sotah 7:3, 10:5; Kiddushin 5:17. Land of Israel, circa 300 C.E. In, e.g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner, pages 861, 876, 946. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002.
  • Jerusalem Talmud: Berakhot 43a; Orlah 9b; Shabbat 45b; Rosh Hashanah 12a; Ketubot 5a; Sotah 32a; Kiddushin 1a, 11b, 16b; Sanhedrin 62a. Tiberias, Land of Israel, circa 400 CE. In, e.g., Talmud Yerushalmi. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, volumes 1, 12, 14, 24, 31, 37, 40, 45. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2005–2018. And in, e.g., The Jerusalem Talmud: A Translation and Commentary. Edited by Jacob Neusner and translated by Jacob Neusner, Tzvee Zahavy, B. Barry Levy, and Edward Goldman. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009.
  • Genesis Rabbah 8:13; 38:10; 42:5; 45:9; 48:16; 55:6; 58:1–62:5; 65:9; 66:4; 67:9; 68:2–4, 9; 70:12; [https://www.sefaria.org/Bereishit_Rabbah.79.7 79:7; 85:7; 96; 97. Land of Israel, 5th Century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Genesis. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon, volume 1, page 63, 309, 347, 357, 386–87, 416, 485–86; volume 2, pages 509–55, 584, 594, 603, 613, 616–18, 621, 645, 732, 794, 931–32. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
  • Leviticus Rabbah 19:5; 20:11; 30:10; 37:4. Land of Israel, 5th Century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Leviticus. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
  • Esther Rabbah 2:9. 5th–11th centuries. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Esther. Translated by Maurice Simon, volume 9, page 40. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
 
Talmud
  • Babylonian Talmud: Berakhot 18a, 26b, 61a; Shabbat 62b, 77a; Eruvin 18b, 53a; Pesachim 3a; Yoma 28b; Taanit 4a; Megillah 17a; Moed Katan 18b; Yevamot 61b, 64a; Ketubot 57a–b; Nedarim 41b; Sotah 5a, 14a; Gittin 76a; Kiddushin 2a, 4b, 82a; Bava Kamma 92b; Bava Metzia 87a; Bava Batra 15b, 16b, 69b, 141a; Sanhedrin 46b, 59b, 91a, 95a, 107b; Shevuot 38b; Avodah Zarah 7b; Zevachim 62b; Chullin 95b, 120a; Bekhorot 50a. Sasanian Empire, 6th Century. In, e.g., Talmud Bavli. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 volumes. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.
  • Song of Songs Rabbah 2:41; 3:8. 6th–7th centuries. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Song of Songs. Translated by Maurice Simon, volume 9, pages 133, 153. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
  • Ruth Rabbah 4:3; 7:12. 6th–7th centuries. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Ruth. Translated by L. Rabinowitz, volume 8, pages 51, 88. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
  • Ecclesiastes Rabbah 2:30. 6th–8th centuries. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Esther. Translated by Maurice Simon, volume 8, pages 17, 72, 124, 174, 232. London: Soncino Press, 1939.

Medieval edit

  • Deuteronomy Rabbah 2:11; 9:4; 11:1. Land of Israel, 9th Century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Deuteronomy. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
 
Ibn Gabirol
  • Exodus Rabbah 1:32; 31:17; 32:9. 10th Century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Exodus. Translated by S. M. Lehrman. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
  • Lamentations Rabbah 1:19. 10th century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Deuteronomy/Lamentations. Translated by A. Cohen, volume 7, pages 46, 85. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
  • Solomon ibn Gabirol. A Crown for the King, 16:199–200; 22:269–70. Spain, 11th Century. Translated by David R. Slavitt, pages 28–29, 36–37. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
 
Rashi
  • Rashi. Commentary. Genesis 23–25. Troyes, France, late 11th Century. In, e.g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, volume 1, pages 241–70. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1995.
  • Rashbam. Commentary on the Torah. Troyes, France, early 12th century. In, e.g., Rabbi Samuel Ben Meir's Commentary on Genesis: An Annotated Translation. Translated by Martin I. Lockshin, pages 101–30. Lewiston, New York: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1989.
  • Abraham ibn Ezra. Commentary on the Torah. Mid-12th century. In, e.g., Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Genesis (Bereshit). Translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, pages 228–47. New York: Menorah Publishing Company, 1988.
 
Maimonides
  • Numbers Rabbah 2:1, 26; 10:5; 14:10–11; 15:12; 19:32; 21:20. 12th Century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Numbers. Translated by Judah J. Slotki. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
  • Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed, part 1, chapters 12, 19, 37, 41; part 2, chapters 19, 30, 48. Cairo, Egypt, 1190. In, e.g., Moses Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed. Translated by Michael Friedländer, pages 24, 28, 53, 56, 188, 218, 250. New York: Dover Publications, 1956.
  • Hezekiah ben Manoah. Hizkuni. France, circa 1240. In, e.g., Chizkiyahu ben Manoach. Chizkuni: Torah Commentary. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 166–86. Jerusalem: Ktav Publishers, 2013.
 
Naḥmanides
  • Naḥmanides. Commentary on the Torah. Jerusalem, circa 1270. In, e.g., Ramban (Nachmanides): Commentary on the Torah: Genesis. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, volume 1, pages 281–312. New York: Shilo Publishing House, 1971.
  • Midrash ha-Ne'lam (The Midrash of the Concealed). Spain, 13th century. In, e.g., Zohar, part 1, pages 121a–30a. Mantua, 1558–1560. In, e.g., The Zohar: Pritzker Edition. Translation and commentary by Nathan Wolski, volume 10, pages 366–401. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2016.
  • Zohar part 1, pages 21a, 50a, 100b, 103a, 121a–34a, 135b, 141a, 142a, 181b, 187a, 223a, 224a; part 2, pages 39b, 236a; part 3, pages 103a, 148b, 158a; Raya Mehemna 60a. Spain, late 13th Century. In, e.g., The Zohar. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 volumes. London: Soncino Press, 1934.
  • Bahya ben Asher. Commentary on the Torah. Spain, early 14th century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbeinu Bachya: Torah Commentary by Rabbi Bachya ben Asher. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 346–84. Jerusalem: Lambda Publishers, 2003.
  • Isaac ben Moses Arama. Akedat Yizhak (The Binding of Isaac). Late 15th century. In, e.g., Yitzchak Arama. Akeydat Yitzchak: Commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak Arama on the Torah. Translated and condensed by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 159–76. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2001.

Modern edit

  • Isaac Abravanel. Commentary on the Torah. Italy, between 1492–1509. In, e.g., Abarbanel: Selected Commentaries on the Torah: Volume 1: Bereishis/Genesis. Translated and annotated by Israel Lazar, pages 129–46. Brooklyn: CreateSpace, 2015.
  • Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno. Commentary on the Torah. Venice, 1567. In, e.g., Sforno: Commentary on the Torah. Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz, pages 114–29. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997.
  • Moshe Alshich. Commentary on the Torah. Safed, circa 1593. In, e.g., Moshe Alshich. Midrash of Rabbi Moshe Alshich on the Torah. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 145–63. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2000.
 
Dickinson
  • Avraham Yehoshua Heschel. Commentaries on the Torah. Cracow, Poland, mid 17th century. Compiled as Chanukat HaTorah. Edited by Chanoch Henoch Erzohn. Piotrkow, Poland, 1900. In Avraham Yehoshua Heschel. Chanukas HaTorah: Mystical Insights of Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel on Chumash. Translated by Avraham Peretz Friedman, pages 65–69. Southfield, Michigan: Targum Press/Feldheim Publishers, 2004.
  • Chaim ibn Attar. Ohr ha-Chaim. Venice, 1742. In Chayim ben Attar. Or Hachayim: Commentary on the Torah. Translated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 185–200. Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers, 1999.
 
Luzzatto
  • Emily Dickinson. Poem 506 (He touched me, so I live to know). 1862. In The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Edited by Thomas H. Johnson, page 246. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1960.
  • Samuel David Luzzatto (Shadal). Commentary on the Torah. Padua, 1871. In, e.g., Samuel David Luzzatto. Torah Commentary. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 217–40. New York: Lambda Publishers, 2012.
 
Cohen
  • Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter. Sefat Emet. Góra Kalwaria (Ger), Poland, before 1906. Excerpted in The Language of Truth: The Torah Commentary of Sefat Emet. Translated and interpreted by Arthur Green, pages 33–36. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1998. Reprinted 2012.
  • Hermann Cohen. Religion of Reason: Out of the Sources of Judaism. Translated with an introduction by Simon Kaplan; introductory essays by Leo Strauss, page 301. New York: Ungar, 1972. Reprinted Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995. Originally published as Religion der Vernunft aus den Quellen des Judentums. Leipzig: Gustav Fock, 1919.
 
Mann
  • Alexander Alan Steinbach. Sabbath Queen: Fifty-four Bible Talks to the Young Based on Each Portion of the Pentateuch, pages 14–17. New York: Behrman's Jewish Book House, 1936.
  • Thomas Mann. Joseph and His Brothers. Translated by John E. Woods, pages 11, 58, 93–94, 100, 127–28, 130, 133–34, 173, 185, 187, 203, 339–43, 353–54, 394–95, 476–77, 492–93, 496–98, 623, 779, 806. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Originally published as Joseph und seine Brüder. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943.
  • Manfred R. Lehmann. "Abraham's Purchase of Machpelah and Hittite Law." Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, volume 129 (1953): pages 15–18.
 
Kraft
  • Robert A. Kraft. “A Note on the Oracle of Rebecca (Gen. XXV. 23).” The Journal of Theological Studies, volume 13 (number 2) (1962): pages 318–20.
  • Walter Orenstein and Hertz Frankel. Torah and Tradition: A Bible Textbook for Jewish Youth: Volume I: Bereishis, pages 52–60. New York: Hebrew Publishing Company, 1964.
  • Delmore Schwartz. "Sarah." In Selected Poems: Summer Knowledge. New Directions, 1967.
 
Buber
  • Martin Buber. On the Bible: Eighteen studies, pages 22–43. New York: Schocken Books, 1968.
  • R. David Freedman. Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, volume 2 (number 2) (1970): pages 77–85.
  • Wolfgang M.W. Roth. "The Wooing of Rebekah. A Tradition-Critical Study of Genesis 24." Catholic Biblical Quarterly, volume 34 (1972): pages 177–87.
  • R. David Freedman. "‘Put Your Hand Under My Thigh'—The Patriarchal Oath." Biblical Archaeology Review, volume 2 (number 2) (June 1976).
  • Seän M. Warner. “The Patriarchs and Extra-Biblical Sources.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, volume 1, number 2 (June 1976): pages 50–61.
  • J. Maxwell Miller. “The Patriarchs and Extra-Biblical Sources: a Response.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, volume 1, number 2 (June 1976): pages 62–66.
  • Christine Garside Allen. "Who was Rebekah?" In Beyond Androcentrism: New Essays on Women and Religion. Edited by Rita M. Gross, pages 183–216. Missoula, Montana: Scholars, 1977.
  • John Tracy Luke. “Abraham and the Iron Age: Reflections on the New Patriarchal Studies.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, volume 2, number 4 (February 1977): pages 35–47.
  • Neḥama Leibowitz. Studies in Bereshit (Genesis), pages 207–56. Jerusalem: The World Zionist Organization, 1981. Reprinted as New Studies in the Weekly Parasha. Lambda Publishers, 2010.
  • Walter Brueggemann. Genesis: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, pages 194–203. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982.
  • Nahum M. Sarna. "Genesis Chapter 23: The Cave of Machpelah." Hebrew Studies, volume 23 (1982): pages 17–21.
  • K.T. Aitken. "The Wooing of Rebekah: A Study in the Development of a Tradition." Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, volume 30 (1984): pages 3–23.
  • Pinchas H. Peli. Torah Today: A Renewed Encounter with Scripture, pages 21–24. Washington, D.C.: B'nai B'rith Books, 1987.
  • Marc Gellman. "Rebekah and the Camel Who Made No Noise." In Does God Have a Big Toe? Stories About Stories in the Bible, pages 53–56. New York: HarperCollins, 1989.
  • Nahum M. Sarna. The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation, pages 157–77, 395–97. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989.
  • Raymond Westbrook. Property and Family in Biblical Law, pages 24–35. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1991.
  • Elizabeth Bloch-Smith. "Burials." In The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by David Noel Freedman, volume 1, pages 785–94. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
  • Aaron Wildavsky. Assimilation versus Separation: Joseph the Administrator and the Politics of Religion in Biblical Israel, pages 6–7. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1993.
  • Judith S. Antonelli. "Milkah: Sarah's Sister." In In the Image of God: A Feminist Commentary on the Torah, pages 48–59. Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson, 1995.
  • Naomi H. Rosenblatt and Joshua Horwitz. Wrestling With Angels: What Genesis Teaches Us About Our Spiritual Identity, Sexuality, and Personal Relationships, pages 204–27. Delacorte Press, 1995.
  • Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis, pages 123–43. New York: Image Books/Doubelday, 1995.
 
Plaut
  • Ellen Frankel. The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s Commentary on the Torah, pages 31–38. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996.
  • W. Gunther Plaut. The Haftarah Commentary, pages 44–53. New York: UAHC Press, 1996.
  • Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden. Teaching Torah: A Treasury of Insights and Activities, pages 33–38. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 1997.
  • Susan Freeman. Teaching Jewish Virtues: Sacred Sources and Arts Activities, pages 102–18, 165–78. Springfield, New Jersey: A.R.E. Publishing, 1999. (Genesis 23:23–24; 24:25, 53).
  • John S. Kselman. "Genesis." In The HarperCollins Bible Commentary. Edited by James L. Mays, page 97. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, revised edition, 2000.
  • Rona Shapiro. "Woman's Life, Woman's Truth." In The Women's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions. Edited by Elyse Goldstein, pages 70–74. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2000.
 
Finkelstein
  • Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman. “Searching for the Patriarchs.” In The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, pages 27–47. New York: The Free Press, 2001.
  • Lainie Blum Cogan and Judy Weiss. Teaching Haftarah: Background, Insights, and Strategies, pages 102–09. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 2002.
  • Michael Fishbane. The JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarot, pages 29–34. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2002.
  • Tikva Frymer-Kensky. “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle: The Rivka Stories.” In Reading the Women of the Bible, pages 5–23. New York: Schocken Books, 2002.
 
Kosman
  • Admiel Kosman. “The Story of a Giant Story: The Winding Way of Og King of Bashan in the Jewish Haggadic Tradition.” Hebrew Union College Annual, volume 73 (2002): pages 157–90.
  • Robert Alter. The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary, pages 113–29. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2004.
  • Jon D. Levenson. "Genesis." In The Jewish Study Bible. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, pages 47–53. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
  • Lieve M. Teugels. Bible and Midrash: The Story of "The Wooing of Rebekah" (Genesis 24). Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2004.
  • Professors on the Parashah: Studies on the Weekly Torah Reading Edited by Leib Moscovitz, pages 47–53. Jerusalem: Urim Publications, 2005.
  • W. Gunther Plaut. The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition. Revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern, pages 153–71. New York: Union for Reform Judaism, 2006.
  • Suzanne A. Brody. "Rebecca's Goodbye." In Dancing in the White Spaces: The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems, page 66. Shelbyville, Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2007.
  • Terence E. Fretheim. Abraham: Trials of Family and Faith. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2007.
 
Kugel
  • James L. Kugel. How To Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now, pages 97, 121, 133–55, 166, 400. New York: Free Press, 2007.
  • The Torah: A Women's Commentary. Edited by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea L. Weiss, pages 111–32. New York: URJ Press, 2008.
  • Rachel Brodie. “When Gender Varies: A Curious Case of Kere and Ketiv: Parashat Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1–25:18).” In Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible. Edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser, and David Shneer; foreword by Judith Plaskow, pages 34–37. New York: New York University Press, 2009.
  • Reuven Hammer. Entering Torah: Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion, pages 29–34. New York: Gefen Publishing House, 2009.
 
Sacks
  • Jonathan Sacks. Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Genesis: The Book of Beginnings, pages 121–44. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2009.
  • John H. Walton. "Genesis." In Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. Edited by John H. Walton, volume 1, pages 99–104. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009.
  • Henrietta L. Wiley. “They Save Themselves Alone: Faith and Loss in the Stories of Abraham and Job.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, volume 34 (number 2) (December 2009): pages 115–29.
  • Karolien Vermeulen. “The 'Song' of the Servant—Gen 24:23.” Vetus Testamentum, volume 61 (number 3) (2011): pages 499–504.
  • Calum Carmichael. The Book of Numbers: A Critique of Genesis, pages 7, 19–20, 22, 37, 91–92, 99, 105–06, 109–10, 112–13, 115, 117–18, 120–22, 124, 141, 156, 162, 191. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012.
  • William G. Dever. The Lives of Ordinary People in Ancient Israel: When Archaeology and the Bible Intersect, page 137. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012.
 
Herzfeld
  • Shmuel Herzfeld. "The Prohibition of Intermarriage." In Fifty-Four Pick Up: Fifteen-Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons, pages 24–28. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2012.
  • Jonathan Sacks. Lessons in Leadership: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, pages 23–26. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2015.
  • “The Hittites: Between Tradition and History.” Biblical Archaeology Review, volume 42 (number 2) (March/April 2016): pages 28–40, 68.
  • Jean-Pierre Isbouts. Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era, page 58. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2016.
  • Jonathan Sacks. Essays on Ethics: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, pages 27–31. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2016.
  • Shai Held. The Heart of Torah, Volume 1: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion: Genesis and Exodus, pages 40–48. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017.
  • Ekaterina E. Kozlova. “Abraham's Burial (Genesis 25.9): An Idyllic Burial or a Dispute over Inheritance?” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, volume 42, number 2 (December 2017): pages 139–53.
  • Steven Levy and Sarah Levy. The JPS Rashi Discussion Torah Commentary, pages 15–17. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017.
 
Finck
  • Pekka Pitkänen. “Ancient Israelite Population Economy: Ger, Toshav, Nakhri and Karat as Settler Colonial Categories.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, volume 42, number 2 (December 2017): pages 139–53.
  • Jeffrey K. Salkin. The JPS B'nai Mitzvah Torah Commentary, pages 21–25. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017.
  • Bill Dauster. "Why Did Eliezer Change His Story?" Washington Jewish Week, November 17, 2022, page 24.
  • Liana Finck. Let There Be Light: The Real Story of Her Creation, pages 209–35. New York: Random House, 2022.

External links edit

 

Texts edit

  • Masoretic text and 1917 JPS translation
  • Hear the parashah chanted
  • Hear the parashah read in Hebrew

Commentaries edit

  • Academy for Jewish Religion, California
  • Academy for Jewish Religion, New York
  • Aish.com
  • American Jewish University—Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies[permanent dead link]
  • Bar-Ilan University
  • Chabad.org
  • Jewish Theological Seminary
  • MyJewishLearning.com
  • Orthodox Union
  • Pardes from Jerusalem
  • Reconstructing Judaism
  • Tanach Study Center
  • TheTorah.com
  • Torah.org
  • Union for Reform Judaism
  • What's Bothering Rashi?
  • Yeshivat Chovevei Torah

May 13, 2024
chayei, sarah, chaye, sarah, Ḥayye, sarah, Ḥayyei, sara, hebrew, life, sarah, first, words, parashah, fifth, weekly, torah, portion, parashah, annual, jewish, cycle, torah, reading, constitutes, genesis, parashah, tells, stories, abraham, negotiations, purchas. Chayei Sarah Chaye Sarah Ḥayye Sarah or Ḥayyei Sara ח י י ש ר ה Hebrew for life of Sarah the first words in the parashah is the fifth weekly Torah portion פ ר ש ה parashah in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading It constitutes Genesis 23 1 25 18 The parashah tells the stories of Abraham s negotiations to purchase a burial place for his wife Sarah and his servant s mission to find a wife for Abraham s son Isaac The parashah is made up of 5 314 Hebrew letters 1 402 Hebrew words 105 verses and 171 lines in a Torah Scroll ס פ ר ת ו ר ה Sefer Torah 1 Jews read it on the fifth Sabbath after Simchat Torah generally in November or on rare occasion in late October 2 Burial of Sarah engraving by Gustave Dore from the 1865 La Sainte Bible Contents 1 Readings 1 1 First reading Genesis 23 1 16 1 2 Second reading Genesis 23 17 24 9 1 3 Third reading Genesis 24 10 26 1 4 Fourth reading Genesis 24 27 52 1 5 Fifth reading Genesis 24 53 67 1 6 Sixth reading Genesis 25 1 11 1 7 Seventh reading Genesis 25 12 18 1 8 Readings according to the triennial cycle 2 In inner Biblical interpretation 2 1 Genesis chapter 23 2 2 Genesis chapter 24 3 In early nonrabbinic interpretation 3 1 Genesis chapter 23 3 2 Genesis chapter 24 4 In classical rabbinic interpretation 4 1 Genesis chapter 23 4 2 Genesis chapter 24 4 3 Genesis chapter 25 5 In medieval Jewish interpretation 5 1 Genesis chapter 24 5 2 Genesis chapter 25 6 In modern interpretation 6 1 Genesis chapter 23 6 2 Genesis chapter 24 7 Commandments 8 In the liturgy 9 The Weekly Maqam 10 Tomb of Sarah 11 Haftarah 12 Notes 13 Further reading 13 1 Biblical 13 2 Early nonrabbinic 13 3 Classical rabbinic 13 4 Medieval 13 5 Modern 14 External links 14 1 Texts 14 2 CommentariesReadings editIn traditional Sabbath Torah reading the parashah is divided into seven readings or עליות aliyot In the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible Parashat Chayei Sarah has three open portion פתוחה petuchah divisions roughly equivalent to paragraphs often abbreviated with the Hebrew letter פ peh Parashat Chayei Sarah has one closed portion סתומה setumah division abbreviated with the Hebrew letter ס samekh within the open portion division of the second reading The long first open portion spans the first five readings The second open portion coincides with the sixth reading And the third open portion coincides with the seventh reading 3 nbsp Abraham Weighs Silver illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible First reading Genesis 23 1 16 edit In the first reading Sarah lived 127 years and died in Hebron and Abraham mourned for her 4 Abraham asked the Hittites to sell him a burial site and the Hittites invited him to bury his dead in the choicest of their burial places 5 Abraham asked the Hittites to intercede for him with Ephron son of Zohar to sell Abraham the cave of Machpelah at full price 6 Before the Hittites at the town gate Ephron offered to give Abraham the field and the cave that was in it but Abraham insisted on paying the price of the land 7 Ephron named the value of the land at 400 shekels of silver and Abraham accepted Ephron s terms gave him the silver and purchased the land 8 The first reading ends here 9 Second reading Genesis 23 17 24 9 edit In the second reading Abraham thus established his title to the land through purchase and he buried Sarah in the cave 10 Abraham was old and instructed his senior servant to put his hand under Abraham s thigh and swear by God that he would not take a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites but would go to the land of Abraham s birth to get Isaac a wife 11 The servant asked if the woman did not consent to follow him to Canaan should he take Isaac back to the land from which Abraham came 12 Abraham told him on no account to take Isaac back there for God who took Abraham from there and promised Abraham the land of Canaan for his offspring would send an angel before the servant and allow him successfully to get a wife for Isaac from there and if the woman did not consent to follow him he would then be clear of his oath 13 So the servant put his hand under Abraham s thigh and swore to him as Abraham had asked 14 The second reading ends here 15 nbsp Eliezer and Rebekah engraving by Gustave Dore from the 1865 La Sainte Bible Third reading Genesis 24 10 26 edit In the third reading the servant took Abraham s bounty and ten of Abraham s camels and traveled to Aram Naharaim the city of Nahor 14 He made the camels kneel by the well outside the city at evening when women come out to draw water 16 The servant asked God to grant that the maiden whom he would ask to draw water for him and who replied by offering also to water his camels might be the one whom God had decreed for Isaac 17 He had scarcely finished speaking when Rebekah the beautiful virgin daughter of Abraham s nephew Bethuel came out with her jar on her shoulder went down to the spring filled her jar and came up 18 The servant ran toward her and asked to sip a little water from her jar and she quickly let him drink and when he had drunk his fill she offered to draw water for his camels until they finished drinking 19 When the camels had finished drinking the servant took a gold nose ring and two gold bands for her arms and asked her whose daughter she was and whether there was room in her father s house for him to spend the night 20 She identified herself and told him that there was plenty of straw and feed and room at her home for him to spend the night 21 The servant bowed low to God 22 The third reading ends here 23 Terah HagarAbrahamSarahHaran NahorMilcahIscahLot BethuelMoabBen ammi IshmaelIsaacRebekahLaban Fourth reading Genesis 24 27 52 edit In the fourth reading the servant blessed God for steadfast faithfulness to Abraham 24 Rebekah ran and told everything to her mother s household 25 Rebekah s brother Laban ran out to the servant at the spring and when he saw the nose ring and the bands on Rebekah s arms and when he heard his sister tell the story Laban invited the servant to their house had the camels unloaded and fed and had water brought to bathe the feet of the servant and his party 26 But the servant would not eat before he had told his tale 27 The servant told how God had greatly blessed Abraham with sheep and cattle silver and gold male and female slaves camels and asses and a son and sole heir 28 The servant told how Abraham made him swear to go to Abraham s kindred to get Isaac a wife and that God would send an angel to make his errand successful 29 And the servant told how he met Rebekah at the well 30 The servant then asked whether or not they meant to treat Abraham with true kindness and Laban and Bethuel answered that the matter had been decreed by God and Rebekah could go and be Isaac s wife 31 The servant bowed low to God 32 The fourth reading ends here 33 nbsp Meeting of Isaac and Rebekah engraving by Gustave Dore from the 1865 La Sainte Bible Fifth reading Genesis 24 53 67 edit In the fifth reading the servant brought out silver gold and garments for Rebekah and presents for her brother and her mother 34 Then the servant and his party ate drank and spent the night 35 The next morning the servant asked leave to return to Abraham but Laban and her mother asked that Rebekah remain a period of time 36 The servant persisted so they called Rebekah to ask her and she agreed to go 37 So they blessed Rebekah wishing that her children be thousands of myriads and seize the gates of their foes and they sent off Rebekah and her nurse with the servant 38 Isaac had just come back from the vicinity of Beer lahai roi to his home in the Negeb and was out walking in the field toward evening when he looked up and saw camels approaching 39 Raising her eyes Rebekah saw Isaac alighted from the camel and asked the servant who the man was 40 The servant said that Isaac was his master so she covered herself with her veil 41 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened and Isaac brought her into Sarah s tent and took her as his wife 42 Isaac loved Rebekah and found comfort after his mother s death 43 The fifth reading and the long first open portion end here with the end of chapter 24 44 nbsp Isaac and Ishmael Bury Abraham illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible Sixth reading Genesis 25 1 11 edit In the sixth reading in chapter 25 Abraham took another wife named Keturah who bore him Zimran Jokshan Medan Midian Ishbak and Shuah 45 Abraham willed all that he owned to Isaac but to his sons by concubines he gave gifts while he was still living and he sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the East 46 Abraham lived 175 years and died old and contented 47 Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah with Sarah 48 After Abraham s death God blessed Isaac and he settled near Beer lahai roi 49 The sixth reading and the second open portion end here 50 Seventh reading Genesis 25 12 18 edit In the seventh reading Ishmael had 12 sons who became chieftains of 12 tribes 51 In the maftir מפטיר reading that concludes the parashah Ishmael lived 137 years and then died 52 Ishmael s progeny dwelt in lands all the way from Havilah near Egypt to Asshur 53 The seventh reading the third open portion and the parashah end here 54 Readings according to the triennial cycle edit Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading read the parashah according to the following schedule 55 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 2022 2025 2028 2023 2026 2029 2024 2027 2030 Reading 23 1 24 9 24 10 52 24 53 25 18 1 23 1 4 24 10 14 24 53 58 2 23 5 7 24 15 20 24 59 61 3 23 8 12 24 21 26 24 62 67 4 23 13 16 24 27 33 25 1 6 5 23 17 20 24 34 41 25 7 11 6 24 1 4 24 42 49 25 12 15 7 24 5 9 24 50 52 25 16 18 Maftir 24 5 9 24 50 52 25 16 18In inner Biblical interpretation editThe parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources 56 Genesis chapter 23 edit Kiriath arba mentioned in Genesis 23 2 literally means village of Arba Joshua 14 15 explains that Arba was the great man among the Anakites Similarly Joshua 15 13 reports that Arba was the father of Anak and Joshua 21 11 tells that Arba was the father of the Anokites The 400 shekels of silver that Abraham paid Ephron the Hittite to buy the cave of Machpelah and adjoining land in Genesis 23 14 16 far exceeds the 100 pieces of silver that Jacob paid the children of Hamor for the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent outside the city of Shechem in Genesis 33 18 19 the 50 shekels of silver that King David paid Araunah the Jebusite for Araunah s threshing floor oxen and wood in 2 Samuel 24 18 24 but 1 Chronicles 21 24 reports cost 600 shekels of gold and the 17 shekels of silver that Jeremiah paid his cousin Hanamel for his field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin in Jeremiah 32 7 9 The cave of Machpelah in which Genesis 23 18 reports Abraham buried Sarah later became the burial site for Abraham himself as reported in Genesis 25 8 10 and thereafter Isaac Rebekah Leah and Jacob as reported in Genesis 49 29 31 Genesis chapter 24 edit The story of Abraham s servant s mission to get a wife for Isaac is told twice once by the narrator in Genesis 24 1 27 and then a second time by Abraham s servant in Genesis 24 34 48 Isaac Abrabanel and other commentators noted a number of differences between the two recountings 57 Genesis 24 1 27 As Told by the Narrator Genesis 24 34 48 As Told by Abraham s Servant 1 And Abraham was old well stricken in age and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things 35 And the Lord has blessed my master greatly and he is become great and He has given him flocks and herds and silver and gold and men servants and maid servants and camels and asses 36 And Sarah my master s wife bore a son to my master when she was old and to him has he given all that he has 2 And Abraham said to his servant the elder of his house that ruled over all that he had Put I pray you your hand under my thigh 34 And he said I am Abraham s servant 3 And I will make you swear by the Lord the God of heaven and the God of the earth that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell 37 And my master made me swear saying You shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell 4 But you shall go to my country and to my kindred and take a wife for my son even for Isaac 38 But you shall go to my father s house and to my kindred and take a wife for my son 5 And the servant said to him Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land must I bring your son back to the land from which you came 39 And I said to my master Perhaps the woman will not follow me 6 And Abraham said to him Beware you that you do not bring my son back there 7 The Lord the God of heaven who took me from my father s house and from the land of my nativity and who spoke to me and who swore to me saying To your seed will I give this land He will send His angel before you and you shall take a wife for my son from there 40 And he said to me The Lord before whom I walk will send His angel with you and prosper your way and you shall take a wife for my son of my kindred and of my father s house 8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you then you shall be clear from my oath only you shall not bring my son back there 41 then shall you be clear from my oath when you come to my kindred and if they do not give her to you you shall be clear from my oath 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter 10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master and departed having all good things of his master s in his hand and he arose and went to Aram Naharaim to the city of Nahor 11 And he made the camels to kneel down without the city by the well of water at the time of evening the time that women go out to draw water 12 And he said O Lord the God of my master Abraham send me I pray good speed this day and show kindness to my master Abraham 42 And I came this day to the fountain and said O Lord the God of my master Abraham if now You do prosper my way that I go 13 Behold I stand by the fountain of water and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water 14 So let it come to pass that the maiden to whom I shall say Let down your pitcher I pray that I may drink and she shall say Drink and I will give your camels drink also let her be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant even for Isaac and thereby shall I know that You have shown kindness to my master 43 behold I stand by the fountain of water and let it come to pass that the maiden that comes forth to draw to whom I shall say Give me I pray a little water from your pitcher to drink 44 and she shall say to me Both you drink and I will also draw for your camels let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master s son 15 And it came to pass before he had done speaking that behold Rebekah came out who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah the wife of Nahor Abraham s brother with her pitcher upon her shoulder 16 And the maiden was very fair to look upon a virgin neither had any man known her and she went down to the fountain and filled her pitcher and came up 17 And the servant ran to meet her and said Give me to drink I pray a little water of your pitcher 45 And before I had done speaking to my heart behold Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder and she went down to the fountain and drew And I said to her Let me drink I pray 18 And she said Drink my lord and she hastened and let down her pitcher upon her hand and gave him drink 19 And when she had done giving him drink she said I will draw for your camels also until they have done drinking 20 And she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough and ran again to the well to draw and drew for all his camels 46 And she made haste and let down her pitcher from her shoulder and said Drink and I will give your camels drink also So I drank and she made the camels drink also 21 And the man looked steadfastly on her holding his peace to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not 22 And it came to pass as the camels had done drinking that the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold 23 and said Whose daughter are you tell me I pray Is there room in your father s house for us to lodge in 24 And she said to him I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah whom she bore to Nahor 47 And I asked her and said Whose daughter are you And she said The daughter of Bethuel Nahor s son whom Milcah bore to him And I put the ring upon her nose and the bracelets upon her hands 25 She said moreover to him We have both straw and provender enough and room to lodge in 26 And the man bowed his head and prostrated himself before the Lord 27 And he said Blessed be the Lord the God of my master Abraham who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master as for me the Lord has led me to the house of my master s brethren 48 And I bowed my head and prostrated myself before the Lord and blessed the Lord the God of my master Abraham who had led me in the right way to take my master s brother s daughter for his son Abraham s servant s meeting on behalf of Isaac of Rebekah at the well in Genesis 24 11 27 is the Torah s first of several meetings at watering holes that lead to marriage Also of the same type scene are the meeting of Jacob and Rachel at the well in Genesis 29 1 12 and the meeting of Moses and Zipporah at the well in Exodus 2 15 21 Each involves 1 a trip to a distant land 2 a stop at a well 3 a young woman coming to the well to draw water 4 a heroic drawing of water 5 the young woman going home to report to her family 6 the visiting man brought to the family and 7 a subsequent marriage 58 In early nonrabbinic interpretation editThe parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources 59 Genesis chapter 23 edit The Book of Jubilees reported that Abraham endured ten trials and was found faithful and patient in spirit Jubilees listed eight of the trials 1 leaving his country 2 the famine 3 the wealth of kings 4 his wife taken from him 5 circumcision 6 Hagar and Ishmael driven away 7 the binding of Isaac and 8 buying the land to bury Sarah 60 Genesis chapter 24 edit Josephus reported that Rebekah told Abraham s servant my father was Bethuel but he is dead and Laban is my brother and together with my mother takes care of all our family affairs and is the guardian of my virginity 61 In classical rabbinic interpretation editThe parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud 62 Genesis chapter 23 edit A Midrash noted that Genesis 23 1 recorded that the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years rather than one hundred twenty seven years and deduced that as the righteous are whole and unblemished by sin so are their years reported whole in the Bible Thus the Midrash taught that at the age of 20 Sarah was as at the age of 7 in beauty and at the age of 100 she was as at the age of 20 in sin the age below which Providence does not punish for sin 63 Rabbi Haggai said in Rabbi Isaac s name that all of the Matriarchs were prophets 64 Rabbi Abba bar Kahana interpreted the words The sun rises and the sun sets in Ecclesiastes 1 5 to teach that before God causes the sun of one righteous person to set God causes the sun of another righteous person to rise Thus a Midrash taught that before God allowed Sarah s sun to set God caused Rebekah s sun to rise Thus Genesis 22 20 23 first says Behold Milcah she also has borne children and Bethuel begot Rebekah and after that Genesis 23 1 says and the lifetime of Sarah was a hundred years 65 Once while lecturing Rabbi Akiva asked why Esther deserved to reign over 127 provinces as indicated by Esther 1 1 Rabbi Akiva taught that the reason was this Let Esther the descendant of Sarah who lived 127 years as Genesis 23 1 reports come and reign over 127 provinces 66 Noting that Genesis 23 2 reports that Sarah died in Kiriat arba literally city of four a Midrash taught that the city had four names Eshcol Mamre Kiriat arba and Hebron Midrash taught that it was called Kiriat arba because four righteous men dwelt there Aner Eshcol Mamre and Abraham four righteous men were circumcised there Abraham Aner Eshcol and Mamre four righteous men were buried there Adam Abraham Isaac and Jacob and four matriarchs were buried there Eve Sarah Rebekah and Leah 67 nbsp The Sacrifice of Isaac painting circa 1590 1610 by Caravaggio A Midrash deduced from the words Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her in Genesis 23 2 that Abraham came directly from Mount Moriah and the binding of Isaac The Midrash told that at the very moment in Genesis 22 11 12 that the angel of the Lord stayed Abraham from sacrificing Isaac the Satan appeared to Sarah in the guise of Isaac When Sarah saw him she asked what Abraham had done to him He told Sarah that Abraham had taken him to a mountain built an altar placed wood upon it tied him down on it and took a knife to slaughter him and had God not told him not to lay a hand on him Abraham would have slaughtered him As soon as he finished speaking Sarah s soul departed 68 Similarly reading Genesis 23 2 And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah the Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer reported that Abraham came from Mount Moriah to find that Sarah had died When Abraham set out from Mount Moriah in peace the anger of Sammael the Satan was kindled for he saw that his desire to frustrate Abraham s offering had not been realized So Sammael told Sarah that Abraham had killed Isaac and offered him as a burnt offering upon the altar Sarah began to weep and to cry aloud three times corresponding to the three sustained notes of the shofar and she gave forth three howlings corresponding to the three disconnected short notes of the shofar and her soul fled and she died 69 The Gemara deduced from the use of the verb came in the account of Genesis 23 2 And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her that Abraham delayed Sarah s funeral until he could travel to where her body lay The Gemara further taught that Sarah would have been pleased that Abraham delayed her funeral so that he could eulogize her 70 Rav Ashi deduced from Genesis 23 3 that as long as a person has the obligation to bury a body it is as if the corpse lay before the person Genesis 23 3 says And Abraham rose up from before his dead indicating that he departed from the presence of Sarah s body And then Genesis 23 4 says that I may bury my dead out of my sight showing that Abraham still spoke as if Sarah s corpse were lying before him And this status affects a person s obligation to perform other commandments 71 Similarly Rabbi Joḥanan taught that we learn from the words And Abraham rose up from before his dead and spoke in Genesis 23 3 that one whose dead lies before him is exempt from reciting the Shema as the verse implies that until Sarah s burial Abraham did nothing but make arrangements for it 72 nbsp Satan Inflicting Plagues on Job watercolor by William Blake from his 1826 Illustrations of the Book of Job The Gemara expanded on the conversation between God and Satan in Job 1 6 8 to teach that Abraham s patience in receiving the Promised Land even in the face of the need to buy land to bury his wife in Genesis 23 3 16 showed faith comparable to that of Job Job 1 6 7 begins Now one day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came among them And the Lord said to Satan From where do you come Then Satan answered The Gemara taught that Satan then told God Sovereign of the Universe I have traversed the whole world and found none so faithful as Your servant Abraham For You said to him Arise walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it for to you will I give it 73 and even so when he was unable to find any place in which to bury Sarah until he bought one for 400 shekels of silver he did not complain against Your ways Only then did God say to Satan the words of Job 1 8 Have you considered my servant Job For there is none like him in the earth 74 Rabbi Berekiah and Rabbi Ḥelbo taught in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Naḥman that the Vale of Siddim mentioned in Genesis 14 3 in connection with the battle between the four kings and the five kings was called the Valley of Shaveh which means as one because there all the peoples of the world agreed as one felled cedars erected a large dais for Abraham set him on top and praised him saying in the words of Genesis 23 6 Hear us my lord you are a prince of God among us They told Abraham that he was king over them and a god to them But Abraham replied that the world did not lack its King and the world did not lack its God 75 A Midrash taught that Abraham said with the words of Genesis 22 1 and 22 11 Here I am ready for priesthood ready for kingship ready to serve God in whatever role God chose and Abraham attained both priesthood and kingship He attained priesthood as Psalm 110 4 says The Lord has sworn and will not repent You are a priest forever after the manner of Melchizedek And he attained kingship as Genesis 23 6 says You are a mighty prince among us 76 Rav and Samuel differed as to its meaning of Machpelah meaning double cave in Genesis 23 9 One held that the cave consisted of two chambers one within the other and the other held that it consisted of a lower and upper chamber According to one the term double cave meant that it was the burial place of multiple couples Adam and Eve Abraham and Sarah Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob and Leah 77 nbsp Abraham bought a piece of land with a cave on it 1984 illustration by Jim Padgett courtesy of Distant Shores Media Sweet Publishing Similarly Rabbi Jehudah taught that the three Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob made covenants with the people of the Land of Israel In Abraham s case this is how it happened When the three angels visited him as reported in Genesis 18 Abraham ran to meet them and prepare for them a great banquet He told Sarah to prepare cakes for them but when Sarah was kneading she perceived that the manner of women was upon her so Abraham did not serve his visitors any of the cakes Rather Abraham ran to fetch a calf but the calf fled from him and went into the cave of Machpelah Abraham chased in after the calf and found Adam and Eve lying there upon their beds Lights were kindled above them and a sweet scent was upon them Abraham consequently sought to get the cave as a burial possession He spoke to the sons of Jebus to purchase the cave from them The men did not accept his request at first He began to bow down and prostrate himself to them as Genesis 23 12 reports And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land They told Abraham that they knew that in the future God would give all the land to Abraham and his descendants Thus they asked Abraham to make a covenant with them that Abraham s descendants would not take possession of the cities of the Jebusites and they would sell him the cave of Machpelah as a perpetual possession So Abraham made a covenant with them with an oath that the Israelites would not take possession of the city of the Jebusites Jerusalem without the consent of the Jebusites and then bought the cave of Machpelah as a perpetual possession as Genesis 23 16 reports And Abraham hearkened to Ephron and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth four hundred shekels of silver current money with the merchant The Jebusites made images of copper inscribed with Abraham s covenant and set them up in the streets of the city When the Israelites later came to the land they wished to enter the city of the Jebusites as reported in Joshua 25 8 and Judges 1 8 but they were unable to enter because of the sign of Abraham s covenant as Judges 1 21 reports And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem When David reigned he wanted to enter the city of the Jebusites but they did not allow him as 2 Samuel 5 6 reports And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites the inhabitants of the land who spoke to David saying You shall not come in here Although the Israelites were numerous they were unable to capture the city because of the force of the sign of Abraham s covenant David saw this and turned back as 2 Samuel 5 9 reports And David dwelt in the stronghold not in the city David s men told him that he would not be able to enter the city until he had removed all those images upon which Abraham s covenant was written So David told his men that whoever would remove those images would be the chief Joab the son of Zeruiah did so and became the chief as 1 Chronicles 11 6 reports And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first and was made chief Thereafter David bought the city of the Jebusites for Israel with a deed for a perpetual possession as 1 Chronicles 21 25 reports So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight 78 The Gemara deduced from the use of the term take in Genesis 23 13 that taking means by monetary exchange And thus the Gemara deduced that money effects betrothal by noting the common use of take in Genesis 23 13 and in Deuteronomy 22 13 in the words If any man take a wife 79 Contrasting the behavior of Abraham and Epron Rabbi Eleazar taught that the righteous promise little and perform much whereas the wicked promise much and do not perform even little The Gemara deduced the behavior of the wicked from Ephron who in Genesis 23 15 said The land is worth 400 shekels of silver but Genesis 23 16 reports And Abraham hearkened to Ephron and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth 400 shekels of silver current money with the merchant indicating that Ephron refused to accept anything but centenaria which are more valuable than ordinary shekels And the Gemara deduced the behavior of the righteous from Abraham who in Genesis 18 5 offered And I will fetch a morsel of bread but Genesis 18 7 reports And Abraham ran to the herd doing much more than he offered 80 Rabbi Judan the son of Rabbi Simon cited Abraham s purchase of the cave at Machpelah as one of three places where Scripture reports purchases in the Land of Israel thus providing a defense against the nations of the world who might taunt the Jews saying that the Israelites had stolen the Land The three instances are the cave of Machpelah of which Genesis 23 16 reports And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver Joseph s Tomb of which Genesis 33 19 reports And he bought the parcel of ground and the Temple of which 1 Chronicles 21 25 reports So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold 81 The Mishnah attributed to Abraham a good eye a magnanimous spirit in financial matters based for example on Abraham s generous and ungrudging nature in his dealings with Ephron the Hittite in Genesis 23 16 82 Rabbi Ḥaninah taught that every time the Torah refers to silver coin ש ק ל כ ס ף shekel kesef without any qualification it means a sela shekel except for the silver coin that Genesis 23 16 cites in the transaction with Ephron For although Genesis 23 16 mentions the coinage without qualification it means centenaria worth 100 shekels each because Genesis 23 16 says 400 shekels of silver current money with the merchant implying that wherever there were merchants these shekels had to be accepted as such and there is a place where they call centenaria shekels 83 Rav Judah said in the name of Rav that Genesis 23 17 which says So the field of Efron which was in Machpelah and all the trees that were in the field that were in the border thereof indicates that Abraham in buying the field acquired all the small trees that were identified by their surrounding boundary But the purchase did not include those large distinctive trees that did not require a surrounding boundary for people to know to whom they belonged And Rav Mesharsheya deduced from Genesis 23 17 that one who buys a field also gains title to the border strips and the trees on these strips surrounding the field 84 nbsp Abraham was very old 1984 illustration by Jim Padgett courtesy of Distant Shores Media Sweet Publishing Genesis chapter 24 edit The Mishnah and Tosefta deduced from Genesis 24 1 that God blessed Abraham in his old age because as the Mishnah deduced from Genesis 26 5 he kept the entire Torah even before it was revealed 85 And the Tosefta deduced from the contrast between the plenty indicated in Genesis 24 1 and the famine indicated in Genesis 26 1 that God gave the people food and drink and a glimpse of the world to come while the righteous Abraham was alive so that the people might understand how much they had lost when he was gone 86 Rabbi Ḥama ben Ḥanina taught that our ancestors were never without a scholars council Abraham was an elder and a member of the scholars council as Genesis 24 1 says And Abraham was an elder ז ק ן zaken well stricken in age Eliezer Abraham s servant was an elder and a member of the scholars council as Genesis 24 2 says And Abraham said to his servant the elder of his house who ruled over all he had which Rabbi Eleazar explained to mean that he ruled over and thus knew and had control of the Torah of his master Isaac was an elder and a member of the scholars council as Genesis 27 1 says And it came to pass when Isaac was an elder ז ק ן zaken Jacob was an elder and a member of the scholars council as Genesis 48 10 says Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age ז ק ן zoken In Egypt they had the scholars council as Exodus 3 16 says Go and gather the elders of Israel together And in the Wilderness they had the scholars council as in Numbers 11 16 God directed Moses to Gather 70 men of the elders of Israel 87 nbsp Abraham ordered his servant to get a wife for Isaac 1984 illustration by Jim Padgett courtesy of Distant Shores Media Sweet Publishing The Gemara read the words of Genesis 24 1 And the Lord blessed Abraham with everything to support the Sages teaching that God gave three people in this world a taste of the World To Come Abraham Isaac and Jacob Of Isaac Genesis 27 33 says And I have eaten from everything And of Jacob Genesis 33 11 says Because I have everything Already in their lifetimes they merited everything that is perfection The Gemara read these three verses also to teach that Abraham Isaac and Jacob were three people over whom the evil inclination had no sway as Scripture says about them respectively with everything from everything and everything and the completeness of their blessings meant that they did not have to contend with their evil inclinations And the Gemara read these same three verses to teach that Abraham Isaac and Jacob were three of six people over whom the Angel of Death had no sway in their demise Abraham Isaac Jacob Moses Aaron and Miriam As Abraham Isaac and Jacob were blessed with everything the Gemara reasoned they were certainly spared the anguish of the Angel of Death 88 nbsp Abraham s Servant Swears illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible The Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer identified the unnamed steward of Abraham s household in Genesis 24 2 with Abraham s servant Eliezer introduced in Genesis 15 2 The Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer told that when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees all the magnates of the kingdom gave him gifts and Nimrod gave Abraham Nimrod s first born son Eliezer as a perpetual slave After Eliezer had dealt kindly with Isaac he set Eliezer free and God gave Eliezer his reward in this world by raising him up to become a king Og king of Bashan 89 The Tosefta reported that Jewish judicial proceedings adopted the oath that Abraham imposed in Genesis 24 3 90 And Rav Judah said that Rav said that the judge adjures the witness with the oath stated in Genesis 24 3 And I will make you swear by the Lord the God of heaven Ravina explained that this accorded with the view of Rabbi Ḥaninah bar Idi who said that Jewish judicial proceedings require swearing by the Name of God Rav Ashi replied that one might even say that it accorded with the view of the Rabbis who said that a witness can be adjured with a Substitute for the Name of God They concluded that the witness needs to hold something sacred in his hand as Abraham s servant did when in Genesis 24 9 he put his hand under Abraham s thigh and held Abraham s circumcision Rava said that a judge who adjures by the Lord God of heaven without having the witness hold a sacred object errs and must repeat the swearing correctly Rav Papa said that a judge who adjures with tefillin errs and must repeat the swearing The law follows Rava but not Rav Papa as tefillin are considered sacred 91 Rabbi Haggai observed in Rabbi Isaac s name that Abraham prophesied in Genesis 24 7 when he said He will send His angel before you Rabbi Haggai taught in Rabbi Isaac s name that even though Abraham was capable of prophesy he still needed God s kindness as Genesis 24 12 reports Abraham s servant praying And show kindness to my master Abraham Rabbi Haggai concluded in Rabbi Isaac s name that all need God s kindness 92 Reading the report of Genesis 24 10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master a Midrash noted that mention that they were of the camels of his master is apparently superfluous The Midrash explained that Abraham s camels were distinguishable wherever they went because they were led out muzzled so as not to graze in other people s fields 93 Reading the report of Genesis 24 10 that Abraham s servant had all the goods of his master s in his hand Rabbi Ḥelbo explained that this was a deed of gift made by Abraham of all his wealth to Isaac so that a bride would be more eager to marry him 93 Similarly Rabbi Simeon or some say Rabbi Shemajah taught that Abraham wrote a will that bequeathed all that he had as an inheritance to Isaac as Genesis 25 5 says And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac Abraham took the document and gave to Eliezer his servant who reasoned that since the document was in his hand all Abraham s money was in his hand so that he might go and be recommended thereby in Abraham s father s house and with his family 94 nbsp The servant stopped at the well 1984 illustration by Jim Padgett courtesy of Distant Shores Media Sweet Publishing Reading the report of the servant s travels in Genesis 24 10 the Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer taught that from Kiriat Arba to Haran was a journey of 17 days but Abraham s servant came to Haran in three hours The servant was astonished that he had arrived on the same day and said as reported in Genesis 24 42 And I came this day to the fountain Rabbi Abbahu taught that God wished to show loving kindness to Isaac and he sent an angel before Eliezer to shorten the way for him so that the servant came to Haran in three hours 94 Similarly Rabbi Berekiah taught in Rabbi Isaac s name that the words of Genesis 24 42 And I came this day to the fountain mean that Abraham s servant set out that day and miraculously arrived the same day The Midrash thus counted Abraham s servant along with Jacob and Abishai the son of Zeruiah as men who miraculously traveled long distances in a short time when the earth trembled closing gaps and thereby speeding them along 93 And similarly the Rabbis read the words And I came this day to the well in Genesis 24 42 to imply that Eliezer had set out that day from Abraham s household and arrived on the same day in Aram Naharaim The Rabbis thus taught that the earth shrank to speed Eliezer s journey as it would again for Jacob as implied in Genesis 28 10 11 and Abishai the son of Zeruiah 95 A Midrash asked why in Genesis 24 11 Abraham s servant stopped by the well The Midrash explained that he thus followed the usual practice Whoever seeks a neighbor sits at the water and find the neighbor there as everyone eventually comes to the water The Midrash noted that all the righteous who left their homes went to wells In addition to Abraham s servant in Genesis 24 11 Genesis 29 2 says of Jacob And behold a well in the field and Exodus 2 15 reports of Moses He sat down by a well 96 nbsp The servant prayed that the Lord would help him 1984 illustration by Jim Padgett courtesy of Distant Shores Media Sweet Publishing Reading of the servant s plan in Genesis 24 11 At the time of evening the time that women go out to draw water Rav Huna asked When a man goes to take a wife and he hears dogs barking can he then understand what they are saying Rav Huna taught that there was just as little reason in the servant s plan At the time of evening the time that women go out to draw water 97 nbsp The Return of Jephtha painting circa 1700 1725 by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini Reading the servant s test in Genesis 24 14 And she may say Drink a Midrash asked why the servant made this the sign that would prove her to be the one in the words of Genesis 24 44 whom the Lord has appointed for my master s son The Midrash explained that the servant knew that if she answered that way she would be a righteous woman eager to show hospitality just like Abraham and Sarah 98 Rabbi Samuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Jonathan that Abraham s servant Eliezer made an improper request when in Genesis 24 14 he asked God to grant that the young woman whom he would ask to draw water for him and who replied by offering also to water his camels might be the one whom God had decreed for Isaac Rabbi Samuel asked what would have happened if she had happened to be lame or blind and concluded that Eliezer was fortunate that Providence answered him by sending Rebekah to meet him Rabbi Samuel compared Eliezer s request to the improvident oaths that Saul made in 1 Samuel 17 25 when he promised his daughter to the man who would kill Goliath and that Jephthah made in Judges 11 31 when he promised to sacrifice whatever came out of his house to meet him on his return 99 Similarly a Midrash taught that Abraham s servant was one of four who asked improperly Eliezer Caleb Saul and Jepthah The Midrash asked What if a slave woman had done as Eliezer had asked Yet the Midrash taught that God prepared Rebekah for him and granted his request in a fitting manner 100 And Rav cited Eliezer s request in Genesis 24 14 along with the omen sought by Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14 9 10 as forms of improper acts of divination 101 nbsp Rebecca and Eliezer painting circa 1652 by Bartolome Esteban Murillo Rabbi Simeon bar Yoḥai taught that God answered three men even while their petition was still on their lips Abraham s servant Eliezer Moses and Solomon Regarding Eliezer Genesis 24 15 reports And it came to pass before he had done speaking that behold Rebekah came out Regarding Moses Numbers 16 31 reports And it came to pass as he made an end of speaking all these words that the ground did cleave asunder And with regard to Solomon 2 Chronicles 7 1 reports Now when Solomon had made an end of praying the fire came down from heaven 102 nbsp Eliezer and Rebecca 18th Century painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo The Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer taught that God saw that everything miraculously came together for Abraham s servant A daughter of kings Rebekah who in all her life had never gone forth to draw water went out to draw water at that hour And the girl who did not know who Abraham s servant was accepted his proposal to be married to Isaac The Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer taught that this happened because she had been destined for him from birth 103 Rav Naḥman bar Isaac cited a Tanna that interpreted Genesis 24 16 to teach that Rebekah was virgin between the ages of 12 and 12 a naarah when Abraham s servant encountered her 104 Rabbi Isaac called Bethuel a wicked man 105 A Midrash identified Bethuel as a king 106 nbsp Isaac s servant trying the bracelet on Rebecca s arm painting circa 1800 by Benjamin West Rava asked Rabba bar Mari from where people derived the saying If you are aware of a derogatory matter about yourself say it first before others say it about you Rabba bar Mari answered that the source was what Eliezer said in Genesis 24 34 And he said I am Abraham s servant immediately proclaiming that he was a servant 107 A Midrash taught that when Rebekah s family heard Abraham s servant say in Genesis 24 34 I am Abraham s servant they hid their faces in shame and fear realizing that if this was the servant how much more so would be his master They reasoned that one could judge a lion from its welp and concluded that they could not overcome him Thereupon they removed the poisoned food that they had given Abraham s servant 108 Rav in the name of Rabbi Reuben ben Estrobile cited Laban s and Bethuel s response to Abraham s servant that The matter was decreed by the Lord in Genesis 24 50 51 as a proof text for the proposition that God destines a woman and a man for each other in marriage 109 Rabbi Joshua the son of Rabbi Nehemiah in the name of Rabbi Ḥaninah ben Isaac said that the decree with regard to Rebekah that Laban and Bethuel acknowledged came from Mount Moriah 110 But the Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer taught that Laban and Bethuel said in Genesis 24 50 The thing proceeds from the Lord We cannot speak to you bad or good only because since this word had come forth from God they could not prevent it 111 nbsp Rebecca Meets Isaac by the Way watercolor circa 1896 1902 by James Tissot Noting that Genesis 24 55 reports that the next day Rebekah s brother and her mother said Let the maiden remain with us some ten days the Rabbis asked where Bethuel was The Midrash concluded that Bethuel wished to hinder Rebekah s marriage and so he was smitten during the night 112 The Rabbis said that Abraham s servant did not disclose Bethuel s fate to Isaac 113 nbsp Rebekah Sees Isaac woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld from the 1860 Die Bibel in Bildern Rav Ḥisda interpreted the word days י מ ים yamim in Genesis 24 55 to mean a year Genesis 24 55 says And her brother and her mother said Let the maiden abide with us yamim at the least ten The Gemara reasoned that if י מ ים yamim in Genesis 24 55 means days and thus to imply two days as the plural implies more than one then Genesis 24 55 would report Rebekah s brother and mother suggesting first two days and then when Eliezer said that that was too long nonsensically suggesting ten days The Gemara thus deduced that י מ ים yamim must mean a year as Leviticus 25 29 implies when it says if a man sells a house in a walled city then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold for a full year י מ ים yamim shall he have the right of redemption Thus Genesis 24 55 might mean Let the maiden abide with us a year or at the least ten months The Gemara then suggested that י מ ים yamim might mean a month as Numbers 11 20 suggests when it uses the phrase a month of days י מ ים yamim The Gemara concluded however that י מ ים yamim means a month only when the term month is specifically mentioned but otherwise means either days at least two or a year 114 Similarly the Mishnah taught that they allowed a virgin 12 months to prepare for her wedding after her fiance told her to prepare 115 Reading the servant s words to Laban in Genesis 24 56 Do not hinder me for the Lord has prospered my way the Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer told that the servant rose early in the morning and saw the angel that had accompanied him standing and waiting for him in the street The servant then told Laban and his friends the words of Genesis 24 56 and that the man who came with him the day before to prosper his way was standing and waiting for him 111 A Midrash noted that in Genesis 24 57 Rebekah s brother and mother determined to ask Rebekah if she assented to going with Abraham s servant to marry Isaac The Midrash deduced from this that a fatherless maiden may not be given in marriage without her consent 112 nbsp Rebekah has come to the land of Canaan illustration from the 1897 Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us by Charles Foster In Genesis 24 58 Rebekah s brother and mother called Rebekah and said to her Will you go Rabbi Uanina the son of Rav Adda said in Rabbi Isaac s name that Rebekah s brother and mother hinted to Rebekah putting the question in a tone of surprise Will you really go And she said I will go Rebekah did not simply say yes but replied that she would go in spite of her brother and mother whether they wished it or not 112 nbsp Rebecca lights off the Camel illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible The Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer taught that Laban and his family ate and drank at a bridal banquet for Rebekah And then like an officiant who stands and blesses a bride in her bridal canopy they stood and blessed Rebekah their sister on her upcoming wedding to Isaac as Genesis 24 60 reports And they blessed Rebekah and said to her Our sister 111 The Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer taught that the servant left Haran at noon and took Rebekah and her nurse Deborah riding on the camels So that the servant would not be alone with the maiden Rebekah by night the earth once again contracted before them and in three hours they came to Hebron at the time of the afternoon prayer at 3 p m Isaac had gone forth to say the afternoon prayer as it is said in Genesis 24 63 And Isaac went forth to meditate in the field towards evening 116 Rabbi Joshua ben Levi according to the Jerusalem Talmud or a Baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yose the son of Rabbi Ḥanina according to the Babylonian Talmud said that the three daily prayers derived from the Patriarchs and cited Genesis 24 63 for the proposition that Jews derived the afternoon prayer from Isaac arguing that within the meaning of Genesis 24 63 speak meant pray just as it did in Psalm 102 1 117 Thus interpreting Genesis 24 64 Rav Huna taught that when Rebekah first saw Isaac she saw his hand stretched out in prayer 113 nbsp Isaac loved Rebekah 1984 illustration by Jim Padgett courtesy of Distant Shores Media Sweet Publishing Rabbi Jose taught that Isaac observed three years of mourning for his mother After three years he married Rebekah and forgot the mourning for his mother Hence Rabbi Jose taught that until a man marries a wife his love centers on his parents When he marries a wife he bestows his love upon his wife as Genesis 2 24 says Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and he shall cleave unto his wife 118 A Midrash taught that as long as Sarah lived a cloud signifying the Divine Presence hung over her tent When she died the cloud disappeared But when Rebekah came it returned As long as Sarah lived her doors were wide open At her death that liberality ceased But when Rebekah came that openhandedness returned As long as Sarah lived there was a blessing on her dough and the lamp used to burn from the evening of the Sabbath until the evening of the following Sabbath When she died these ceased But when Rebekah came they returned And so when Isaac saw Rebekah following in his mother Sarah s footsteps separating her challah in cleanness and handling her dough in cleanness rereading the words of Genesis 24 67 Isaac brought her into the tent and behold she was like his mother Sarah 119 Rabbi Judan read Genesis 24 67 to teach a rule of propriety If a man has grown up sons and both the man and his sons wish to marry he must first see that his sons marry and then take a wife himself Rabbi Judan derived this from Abraham s example for first Genesis 24 67 says And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah s tent and after that Genesis 25 1 says And Abraham took another wife and her name was Keturah 119 Genesis chapter 25 edit Rabbi Judah said that Keturah was another name for Hagar 120 Rabbi Judah Rabbi Nehemiah and the Rabbis differed about the meaning of Genesis 25 5 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac Rabbi Judah said that Abraham gave Isaac the birthright Rabbi Nehemiah said that Abraham gave the power of blessing granted to Abraham in Genesis 12 2 The Rabbis said that Abraham gave the privilege of being buried in the cave of Machpelah and a deed of gift Rabbi Judah the son of Rabbi Simon Rabbi Berekiah and Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Ḥama the son of Rabbi Ḥanina taught that Abraham did not bless Isaac but gave him gifts Rabbi Ḥama likened this to a king who had an orchard which he entrusted to a steward The orchard contained two trees that were intertwined and one of which yielded life giving fruit and the other a deadly poison The steward thought that if he watered the life bearing tree the death bearing one would flourish with it while if he did not water the death bearing tree the life bearing could not survive On reflection the steward decided that his position required him to do his duty and whatever the owner of the orchard wished to do he could do In like manner Abraham argued that if he blessed Isaac the children of Ishmael and of Keturah would also be blessed while if he did not bless the children of Ishmael and Keturah he could not bless Isaac On reflection he decided that he was only flesh he would do his duty and whatever God wished to do God would do Consequently when Abraham died God appeared to Isaac and blessed him as Genesis 25 11 reports And it came to pass after the death of Abraham that God blessed Isaac his son 121 nbsp Alexander the Great Hellenistic marble bust of the 2nd 1st century BCE in the British Museum A Midrash told that the Ishmaelites came before Alexander the Great to dispute the birthright with Israel accompanied by the Canaanites and the Egyptians The Ishmaelites based their claim on Deuteronomy 21 17 But he shall acknowledge the firstborn the son of the hated and Ishmael was the firstborn Gebiah the son of Kosem representing the Jews asked Alexander whether a man could not do as he wished to his sons When Alexander replied that a man could Gebiah quoted Genesis 25 5 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac The Ishmaelites asked where the deed of gift to his other sons was Gebiah replied by quoting Genesis 25 7 But to the sons of the concubines whom Abraham had Abraham gave gifts Thereupon the Ishmaelites departed in shame 122 Rabbi Ḥama son of Rabbi Ḥaninah taught that Genesis 25 11 shows God comforting the mourning Isaac and thus demonstrates one of God s attributes that humans should emulate Rabbi Ḥama son of Rabbi Ḥaninah asked what Deuteronomy 13 5 means in the text You shall walk after the Lord your God How can a human being walk after God when Deuteronomy 4 24 says T he Lord your God is a devouring fire Rabbi Ḥama son of Rabbi Ḥaninah explained that the command to walk after God means to walk after the attributes of God As God clothes the naked for Genesis 3 21 says And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skin and clothed them so should we also clothe the naked God visited the sick for Genesis 18 1 says And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre after Abraham was circumcised in Genesis 17 26 so should we also visit the sick God comforted mourners for Genesis 25 11 says And it came to pass after the death of Abraham that God blessed Isaac his son so should we also comfort mourners God buried the dead for Deuteronomy 34 6 says And He buried him in the valley so should we also bury the dead 123 Similarly the Sifre on Deuteronomy 11 22 taught that to walk in God s ways means to be in the words of Exodus 34 6 merciful and gracious 124 In medieval Jewish interpretation editThe parashah is discussed in these medieval Jewish sources 125 Genesis chapter 24 edit Baḥya ibn Paquda taught that because humans cannot understand anything about God except for God s Name and that God exists Abraham associated God s Name with heaven and earth when he said in Genesis 24 3 And I will make you swear by the Lord the God of heaven and the God of the earth 126 nbsp The Title Page of the Zohar Abraham ibn Ezra read the words He will send His angel before you in Genesis 24 7 as a prayer Ibn Ezra argued that if it were a prophecy Abraham would not have said in Genesis 24 8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you 127 The Zohar taught that when Abraham s servant reached Haran and met Rebekah in the words of Genesis 24 11 at the time of evening it was the time of the afternoon מ נ ח ה mincha prayer Thus the moment when Isaac began the afternoon prayer coincided with the moment when Abraham s servant encountered Rebekah So too Rebekah came to Isaac as reported in Genesis 24 64 at the very moment of Isaac s afternoon prayer 128 nbsp Maimonides Reading Genesis 24 14 Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno distinguished what Abraham s servant did from divination According to Sforno Abraham s servant did not make what he said a sign whereby he might recognize Isaac s destined wife because that would be divination rather he prayed that it might occur the way that he described If an individual says something not as a prayer but in the nature of If such and such happens then I shall do this then the individual is guilty of divination 129 The Zohar taught that Rabbi Simeon discoursed on Malachi 1 6 A son honors his father and a servant his master saying that Eliezer illustrated a servant s honoring his master by carrying out all Abraham s wishes and paying him great respect as Genesis 24 34 35 reports And he said I am Abraham s servant and the Lord blessed my master Abraham Eliezer had with him silver gold precious stones and camels and was himself quite handsome yet he did not present himself as Abraham s friend or family but openly declared I am the servant of Abraham in order to extol his master and make him an object of honor in the eyes of Rebekah s family 130 Maimonides cited Laban and Bethuel s words regarding Rebekah in Genesis 24 51 Let her be a wife to the son of your master as the Lord spoke as an example of the proposition that Scripture ascribes to God events evidently due to chance 131 Genesis chapter 25 edit Rashbam identified the concubines to whom Genesis 25 6 refers as Hagar and Keturah 132 The Zohar however deduced from the plural of concubines in Genesis 25 6 that Abraham had two concubines beside Sarah and Hagar and thus like Jacob had four spouses 133 In modern interpretation editThe parashah is discussed in these modern sources Genesis chapter 23 edit John Van Seters argued that the Abraham cycle was a postexilic invention of the 5th century CE or later 134 Genesis chapter 24 edit Genesis 24 22 discusses a gold ring of half a shekel or a bekah ב ק ע in weight and gold bracelets of ten shekels in weight This table translates units of weight used in the Bible into their modern equivalents 135 Weight Measurements in the Bible Unit Texts Ancient Equivalent Modern Equivalent gerah ג ר ה Exodus 30 13 Leviticus 27 25 Numbers 3 47 Numbers 18 16 Ezekiel 45 12 1 20 shekel 0 6 gram 0 02 ounce bekah ב ק ע Genesis 24 22 Exodus 38 26 10 gerahs half shekel 6 grams 0 21 ounce pim פ ים 1 Samuel 13 21 2 3 shekel 8 grams 0 28 ounce shekel ש ק ל Exodus 21 32 30 13 15 24 38 24 25 26 29 20 gerahs 2 bekahs 12 grams 0 42 ounce mina maneh מ נ ה 1 Kings 10 17 Ezekiel 45 12 Ezra 2 69 Nehemiah 7 70 50 shekels 0 6 kilogram 1 32 pounds talent kikar כ כ ר Exodus 25 39 37 24 38 24 25 27 29 3 000 shekels 60 minas 36 kilograms 79 4 poundsCommandments edit nbsp Shlomo Ganzfried editor of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch According to Maimonides and Sefer ha Chinuch there are no commandments in the parashah 136 The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch taught that people who have animals who are dependent on them for their food are prohibited from eating until they feed their animals based on Deuteronomy 11 15 I will grant grass for your cattle in your field that you may eat and be satisfied which gives precedence to animals eating before people But the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch noted that people came before animals with regard to drinking in Genesis 24 14 which says Drink and I will also draw for your camels and Numbers 20 8 which says And you will provide water for the congregation and their cattle In the liturgy editThe parashah is reflected in these parts of the Jewish liturgy Some Jews refer to the ten trials of Abraham in Genesis 12 25 as they study chapter 5 of Pirkei Avot on a Sabbath between Passover and Rosh Hashanah 137 In the Blessing after Meals Birkat Hamazon at the close of the fourth blessing of thanks for God s goodness Jews allude to God s blessing of the Patriarchs described in Genesis 24 1 27 33 and 33 11 138 The Sages deduced from Isaac s meditation toward evening in Genesis 24 63 that Isaac began the practice of the afternoon מ נ ח ה mincha prayer service 139 nbsp Room containing the cenotaph of Sarah in the Tomb of Machpela complex 140 The Weekly Maqam editIn the Weekly Maqam Sephardi Jews each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week s parashah For Parashat Chayei Sarah Jews from Aleppo apply Maqam Hijaz the maqam that expresses mourning and sadness in Syrian Jewish traditions because the parashah contains the deaths of both Sarah and Abraham 141 Jews from Damascus meanwhile will use Maqam Saba which is generally the Maqam for painful occasions across the Arab world 142 Tomb of Sarah edit nbsp Abishag at the bed of David with Bathsheba Solomon and Nathan from a Dutch Bible circa 1435 The tomb of Sarah is located in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron along with that of Abraham and the other Biblical Matriarchs and Patriarchs 143 Every year on the Shabbat in which Parashat Chayei Sarah is read in synagogue services thousands of people visit the site 144 Known as Shabbat Hebron the weekend can attract more than 35 000 people 140 145 Haftarah editA haftarah is a text selected from the books of Nevi im The Prophets that is read publicly in the synagogue after the reading of the Torah on Sabbath and holiday mornings The haftarah usually has a thematic link to the Torah reading that precedes it The specific text read following Parashah Chayei Sarah varies according to different traditions within Judaism Examples are for Ashkenazi Jews Sephardi Jews and Dardai communities 1 Kings 1 1 31 for Yemenite Jews 1 Kings 1 1 36 46 for Karaite Jews Isaiah 51 2 22 for Italian Jews 1 Kings 1 1 34Notes edit Torah Stats For Bereshit Akhlah Inc Retrieved August 23 2023 Parashat Chayei Sara Hebcal Retrieved November 4 2014 See e g Menachem Davis editor The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash Bereishis Genesis Brooklyn Mesorah Publications 2006 pages 116 34 Genesis 23 1 2 Genesis 23 3 6 Genesis 23 7 9 Genesis 23 10 13 Genesis 23 14 16 See e g Menachem Davis editor Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash Bereishis Genesis page 119 Genesis 23 17 19 Genesis 24 1 4 Genesis 24 5 6 Genesis 24 7 8 a b Genesis 24 9 See e g Menachem Davis editor Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash Bereishis Genesis page 121 Genesis 24 10 Genesis 24 11 14 Genesis 24 15 16 Genesis 24 17 19 Genesis 24 22 23 Genesis 24 24 25 Genesis 24 26 See e g Menachem Davis editor Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash Bereishis Genesis page 124 Genesis 24 27 Genesis 24 28 Genesis 24 28 32 Genesis 24 33 Genesis 24 34 36 Genesis 24 37 40 Genesis 24 42 48 Genesis 24 49 51 Genesis 24 52 See e g Menachem Davis editor Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash Bereishis Genesis page 129 Genesis 24 53 Genesis 24 54 Genesis 24 54 55 Genesis 24 56 58 Genesis 24 59 60 Genesis 24 62 63 Genesis 24 64 65 Genesis 24 65 Genesis 24 66 67 Genesis 24 67 See e g Menachem Davis editor Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash Bereishis Genesis page 132 Genesis 25 1 2 Genesis 25 5 6 Genesis 25 7 8 Genesis 25 9 10 Genesis 25 11 See e g Menachem Davis editor Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash Bereishis Genesis page 133 Genesis 25 12 16 Genesis 25 17 Genesis 25 18 See e g Menachem Davis editor Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash Bereishis Genesis page 134 See e g Richard Eisenberg A Complete Triennial Cycle for Reading the Torah in Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement 1986 1990 New York The Rabbinical Assembly 2001 pages 383 418 For more on inner Biblical interpretation see e g Benjamin D Sommer Inner biblical Interpretation in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler editors The Jewish Study Bible 2nd edition New York Oxford University Press 2014 pages 1835 41 See e g Yehudah Nachshoni Studies in the Weekly Parashah The Classical Interpretations of Major Topics and Themes in the Torah Brooklyn Mesorah Publications 1988 pages 114 16 See Victor P Hamilton The Book of Genesis Chapters 18 50 Grand Rapids Michigan William B Eerdmans Publishing Co 1995 pages 254 55 For more on early nonrabbinic interpretation see e g Esther Eshel Early Nonrabbinic Interpretation in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler editors Jewish Study Bible 2nd edition pages 1841 59 Jubilees 17 16 18 19 2 9 Josephus Antiquities of the Jews book 1 chapter 16 paragraph 2 248 For more on classical rabbinic interpretation see e g Yaakov Elman Classical Rabbinic Interpretation in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler editors Jewish Study Bible 2nd edition pages 1859 78 Genesis Rabbah 58 1 Genesis Rabbah 67 9 Genesis Rabbah 58 2 Genesis Rabbah 58 3 Genesis Rabbah 58 4 Midrash Tanhuma Vayeira 23 Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer chapter 32 Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 46b Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 18a Genesis Rabbah 58 6 Genesis 13 17 Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 15b Genesis Rabbah 42 5 Genesis Rabbah 55 6 Babylonian Talmud Eruvin 53a Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer chapter 36 Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 2a b 4b Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 87a Genesis Rabbah 79 7 Mishnah Avot 5 19 Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 50a Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 69b Mishnah Kiddushin 4 14 Tosefta Kiddushin 5 17 Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 82a Tosefta Sotah 10 5 Babylonian Talmud Yoma 28b Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 16b 17a Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer chapter 16 Tosefta Sotah 7 3 Babylonian Talmud Shevuot 38b Genesis Rabbah 60 2 a b c Genesis Rabbah 59 11 a b Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer chapter 16 Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 95a b Midrash HaGadol Yemen 13th century in Menahem M Kasher Torah Sheleimah 24 76 and note Jerusalem 1927 in Harry Freedman translator Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation New York American Biblical Encyclopedia Society 1957 volume 3 page 195 Genesis Rabbah 59 12 Midrash Aggadah 12th century in Menahem Kasher Torah Sheleimah 24 86 Jerusalem 1927 in Harry Freedman translator Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation volume 3 page 198 Babylonian Talmud Taanit 4a Genesis Rabbah 60 3 Babylonian Talmud Chullin 95b Genesis Rabbah 60 4 Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer chapter 16 Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 61b Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 64a see also Genesis Rabbah 60 12 63 4 wicked a rogue Leviticus Rabbah 23 1 a deceiver Song of Songs Rabbah 2 2 2 4 a swindler Numbers Rabbah 14 11 Babylonian Talmud Bava Kamma 92b Midrash HaGadol in Menahem M Kasher Torah Sheleimah 24 144 45 in Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation Translated by Harry Freedman volume 3 page 207 Babylonian Talmud Mo ed Katan 18b see also Genesis Rabbah 68 3 Genesis Rabbah 60 10 a b c Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer chapter 16 a b c Genesis Rabbah 60 12 a b Genesis Rabbah 60 15 Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 57b Mishnah Ketubot 5 2 Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 57a Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer chapter 16 Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 43a Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 26b see also Genesis Rabbah 60 14 Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer chapter 32 a b Genesis Rabbah 60 16 Genesis Rabbah 61 4 Genesis Rabbah 61 6 Genesis Rabbah 61 7 Babylonian Talmud Sotah 14a Sifre to Deuteronomy 49 1 For more on medieval Jewish interpretation see e g Barry D Walfish Medieval Jewish Interpretation in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler editors Jewish Study Bible 2nd edition pages 1891 915 Baḥya ibn Paquda Chovot HaLevavot Duties of the Heart section 1 chapter 10 Zaragoza Al Andalus circa 1080 in e g Bachya ben Joseph ibn Paquda Duties of the Heart translated by Yehuda ibn Tibbon and Daniel Haberman Jerusalem Feldheim Publishers 1996 volume 1 pages 134 35 Abraham ibn Ezra Commentary on the Torah mid 12th century in e g H Norman Strickman and Arthur M Silver translators Ibn Ezra s Commentary on the Pentateuch Genesis Bereshit New York Menorah Publishing Company 1988 page 235 Zohar Bereishit section 1 page 132a Spain late 13th century in e g Daniel C Matt translator The Zohar Pritzker Edition Stanford Stanford University Press 2004 volume 2 page 240 Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno Commentary on the Torah Venice 1567 in e g Sforno Commentary on the Torah Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz page 120 Brooklyn Mesorah Publications 1997 Zohar Bereishit part 1 page 103a in e g The Zohar Pritzker Edition Translation and commentary by Daniel C Matt volume 2 pages 130 31 Maimonides The Guide for the Perplexed part 3 chapter 48 Cairo Egypt 1190 in e g Moses Maimonides The Guide for the Perplexed Translated by Michael Friedlander 250 New York Dover Publications 1956 Rashbam Commentary on the Torah Troyes early 12th century in e g Rabbi Samuel Ben Meir s Commentary on Genesis An Annotated Translation Translated by Martin I Lockshin page 127 Lewiston New York The Edwin Mellen Press 1989 Zohar part 1 pages 133a b in e g The Zohar Pritzker Edition Translation and commentary by Daniel C Matt volume 2 page 251 John Van Seters Abraham in History and Tradition pages 310 12 New Haven Yale University Press 1975 Bruce Wells Exodus In Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Edited by John H Walton volume 1 page 258 Grand Rapids Michigan Zondervan 2009 Maimonides Mishneh Torah Cairo Egypt 1170 1180 in Maimonides The Commandments Sefer Ha Mitzvoth of Maimonides Translated by Charles B Chavel 2 volumes London Soncino Press 1967 Sefer HaHinnuch The Book of Mitzvah Education Translated by Charles Wengrov volume 1 page 87 Jerusalem Feldheim Publishers 1991 Menachem Davis editor The Schottenstein Edition Siddur for the Sabbath and Festivals with an Interlinear Translation Brooklyn Mesorah Publications 2002 pages 568 69 Menachem Davis editor Schottenstein Edition Siddur for the Sabbath and Festivals with an Interlinear Translation page 172 Reuven Hammer Or Hadash A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals New York The Rabbinical Assembly 2003 page 342 Reuven Hammer Or Hadash page 1 a b 30 000 Jews expected for Sabbath prayer in Hebron The Jerusalem Post Jpost com Retrieved 2016 08 15 See Mark L Kligman The Bible Prayer and Maqam Extra Musical Associations of Syrian Jews Ethnomusicology volume 45 number 3 Autumn 2001 pages 443 479 Mark L Kligman Maqam and Liturgy Ritual Music and Aesthetics of Syrian Jews in Brooklyn Detroit Wayne State University Press 2009 Pizmonim org Weekly Parasha www pizmonim org Retrieved 2023 10 25 Cave of the Patriarchs Machpelah History Structure and Spiritual Significance 16 July 2019 Media JNI 2015 11 06 Thousands Camp in Hebron to Honor Matriarch Sarah Israel News Retrieved 2016 08 15 Shabbat Chayei Sarah V Shavu Banim L Gvulam The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 2016 08 15 Further reading editThe parashah has parallels or is discussed in these sources Biblical edit Genesis 29 1 12 courtship at the well Exodus 2 15 21 courtship at the well Early nonrabbinic edit Apocalypse of Abraham Circa 70 150 CE Translated by R Rubinkiewicz In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Volume 1 Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments Edited by James H Charlesworth pages 681 705 New York Anchor Bible 1983 Testament of Abraham Circa 1st or 2nd century CE Translated by E P Sanders In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Volume 1 Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments Edited by James H Charlesworth pages 871 902 New York Anchor Bible 1983 Classical rabbinic edit Mishnah Ketubot 5 2 Kiddushin 4 14 Avot 5 19 Land of Israel circa 200 C E In e g The Mishnah A New Translation Translated by Jacob Neusner pages 387 88 498 688 89 New Haven Yale University Press 1988 Tosefta Sotah 7 3 10 5 Kiddushin 5 17 Land of Israel circa 300 C E In e g The Tosefta Translated from the Hebrew with a New Introduction Translated by Jacob Neusner pages 861 876 946 Peabody Massachusetts Hendrickson Publishers 2002 Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 43a Orlah 9b Shabbat 45b Rosh Hashanah 12a Ketubot 5a Sotah 32a Kiddushin 1a 11b 16b Sanhedrin 62a Tiberias Land of Israel circa 400 CE In e g Talmud Yerushalmi Edited by Chaim Malinowitz Yisroel Simcha Schorr and Mordechai Marcus volumes 1 12 14 24 31 37 40 45 Brooklyn Mesorah Publications 2005 2018 And in e g The Jerusalem Talmud A Translation and Commentary Edited by Jacob Neusner and translated by Jacob Neusner Tzvee Zahavy B Barry Levy and Edward Goldman Peabody Massachusetts Hendrickson Publishers 2009 Genesis Rabbah 8 13 38 10 42 5 45 9 48 16 55 6 58 1 62 5 65 9 66 4 67 9 68 2 4 9 70 12 https www sefaria org Bereishit Rabbah 79 7 79 7 85 7 96 97 Land of Israel 5th Century In e g Midrash Rabbah Genesis Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon volume 1 page 63 309 347 357 386 87 416 485 86 volume 2 pages 509 55 584 594 603 613 616 18 621 645 732 794 931 32 London Soncino Press 1939 Leviticus Rabbah 19 5 20 11 30 10 37 4 Land of Israel 5th Century In e g Midrash Rabbah Leviticus Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon London Soncino Press 1939 Esther Rabbah 2 9 5th 11th centuries In e g Midrash Rabbah Esther Translated by Maurice Simon volume 9 page 40 London Soncino Press 1939 nbsp Talmud Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 18a 26b 61a Shabbat 62b 77a Eruvin 18b 53a Pesachim 3a Yoma 28b Taanit 4a Megillah 17a Moed Katan 18b Yevamot 61b 64a Ketubot 57a b Nedarim 41b Sotah 5a 14a Gittin 76a Kiddushin 2a 4b 82a Bava Kamma 92b Bava Metzia 87a Bava Batra 15b 16b 69b 141a Sanhedrin 46b 59b 91a 95a 107b Shevuot 38b Avodah Zarah 7b Zevachim 62b Chullin 95b 120a Bekhorot 50a Sasanian Empire 6th Century In e g Talmud Bavli Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr Chaim Malinowitz and Mordechai Marcus 72 volumes Brooklyn Mesorah Pubs 2006 Song of Songs Rabbah 2 41 3 8 6th 7th centuries In e g Midrash Rabbah Song of Songs Translated by Maurice Simon volume 9 pages 133 153 London Soncino Press 1939 Ruth Rabbah 4 3 7 12 6th 7th centuries In e g Midrash Rabbah Ruth Translated by L Rabinowitz volume 8 pages 51 88 London Soncino Press 1939 Ecclesiastes Rabbah 2 30 6th 8th centuries In e g Midrash Rabbah Esther Translated by Maurice Simon volume 8 pages 17 72 124 174 232 London Soncino Press 1939 Medieval edit Deuteronomy Rabbah 2 11 9 4 11 1 Land of Israel 9th Century In e g Midrash Rabbah Deuteronomy Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon London Soncino Press 1939 nbsp Ibn Gabirol Exodus Rabbah 1 32 31 17 32 9 10th Century In e g Midrash Rabbah Exodus Translated by S M Lehrman London Soncino Press 1939 Lamentations Rabbah 1 19 10th century In e g Midrash Rabbah Deuteronomy Lamentations Translated by A Cohen volume 7 pages 46 85 London Soncino Press 1939 Solomon ibn Gabirol A Crown for the King 16 199 200 22 269 70 Spain 11th Century Translated by David R Slavitt pages 28 29 36 37 New York Oxford University Press 1998 nbsp Rashi Rashi Commentary Genesis 23 25 Troyes France late 11th Century In e g Rashi The Torah With Rashi s Commentary Translated Annotated and Elucidated Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg volume 1 pages 241 70 Brooklyn Mesorah Publications 1995 Rashbam Commentary on the Torah Troyes France early 12th century In e g Rabbi Samuel Ben Meir s Commentary on Genesis An Annotated Translation Translated by Martin I Lockshin pages 101 30 Lewiston New York The Edwin Mellen Press 1989 Abraham ibn Ezra Commentary on the Torah Mid 12th century In e g Ibn Ezra s Commentary on the Pentateuch Genesis Bereshit Translated and annotated by H Norman Strickman and Arthur M Silver pages 228 47 New York Menorah Publishing Company 1988 nbsp Maimonides Numbers Rabbah 2 1 26 10 5 14 10 11 15 12 19 32 21 20 12th Century In e g Midrash Rabbah Numbers Translated by Judah J Slotki London Soncino Press 1939 Maimonides The Guide for the Perplexed part 1 chapters 12 19 37 41 part 2 chapters 19 30 48 Cairo Egypt 1190 In e g Moses Maimonides The Guide for the Perplexed Translated by Michael Friedlander pages 24 28 53 56 188 218 250 New York Dover Publications 1956 Hezekiah ben Manoah Hizkuni France circa 1240 In e g Chizkiyahu ben Manoach Chizkuni Torah Commentary Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk volume 1 pages 166 86 Jerusalem Ktav Publishers 2013 nbsp Naḥmanides Naḥmanides Commentary on the Torah Jerusalem circa 1270 In e g Ramban Nachmanides Commentary on the Torah Genesis Translated by Charles B Chavel volume 1 pages 281 312 New York Shilo Publishing House 1971 Midrash ha Ne lam The Midrash of the Concealed Spain 13th century In e g Zohar part 1 pages 121a 30a Mantua 1558 1560 In e g The Zohar Pritzker Edition Translation and commentary by Nathan Wolski volume 10 pages 366 401 Stanford California Stanford University Press 2016 Zohar part 1 pages 21a 50a 100b 103a 121a 34a 135b 141a 142a 181b 187a 223a 224a part 2 pages 39b 236a part 3 pages 103a 148b 158a Raya Mehemna 60a Spain late 13th Century In e g The Zohar Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon 5 volumes London Soncino Press 1934 Bahya ben Asher Commentary on the Torah Spain early 14th century In e g Midrash Rabbeinu Bachya Torah Commentary by Rabbi Bachya ben Asher Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk volume 1 pages 346 84 Jerusalem Lambda Publishers 2003 Isaac ben Moses Arama Akedat Yizhak The Binding of Isaac Late 15th century In e g Yitzchak Arama Akeydat Yitzchak Commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak Arama on the Torah Translated and condensed by Eliyahu Munk volume 1 pages 159 76 New York Lambda Publishers 2001 Modern edit Isaac Abravanel Commentary on the Torah Italy between 1492 1509 In e g Abarbanel Selected Commentaries on the Torah Volume 1 Bereishis Genesis Translated and annotated by Israel Lazar pages 129 46 Brooklyn CreateSpace 2015 Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno Commentary on the Torah Venice 1567 In e g Sforno Commentary on the Torah Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz pages 114 29 Brooklyn Mesorah Publications 1997 Moshe Alshich Commentary on the Torah Safed circa 1593 In e g Moshe Alshich Midrash of Rabbi Moshe Alshich on the Torah Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk volume 1 pages 145 63 New York Lambda Publishers 2000 nbsp Dickinson Avraham Yehoshua Heschel Commentaries on the Torah Cracow Poland mid 17th century Compiled as Chanukat HaTorah Edited by Chanoch Henoch Erzohn Piotrkow Poland 1900 In Avraham Yehoshua Heschel Chanukas HaTorah Mystical Insights of Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel on Chumash Translated by Avraham Peretz Friedman pages 65 69 Southfield Michigan Targum Press Feldheim Publishers 2004 Chaim ibn Attar Ohr ha Chaim Venice 1742 In Chayim ben Attar Or Hachayim Commentary on the Torah Translated by Eliyahu Munk volume 1 pages 185 200 Brooklyn Lambda Publishers 1999 nbsp Luzzatto Emily Dickinson Poem 506 He touched me so I live to know 1862 In The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson Edited by Thomas H Johnson page 246 New York Little Brown amp Co 1960 Samuel David Luzzatto Shadal Commentary on the Torah Padua 1871 In e g Samuel David Luzzatto Torah Commentary Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk volume 1 pages 217 40 New York Lambda Publishers 2012 nbsp Cohen Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter Sefat Emet Gora Kalwaria Ger Poland before 1906 Excerpted in The Language of Truth The Torah Commentary of Sefat Emet Translated and interpreted by Arthur Green pages 33 36 Philadelphia Jewish Publication Society 1998 Reprinted 2012 Hermann Cohen Religion of Reason Out of the Sources of Judaism Translated with an introduction by Simon Kaplan introductory essays by Leo Strauss page 301 New York Ungar 1972 Reprinted Atlanta Scholars Press 1995 Originally published as Religion der Vernunft aus den Quellen des Judentums Leipzig Gustav Fock 1919 nbsp Mann Alexander Alan Steinbach Sabbath Queen Fifty four Bible Talks to the Young Based on Each Portion of the Pentateuch pages 14 17 New York Behrman s Jewish Book House 1936 Thomas Mann Joseph and His Brothers Translated by John E Woods pages 11 58 93 94 100 127 28 130 133 34 173 185 187 203 339 43 353 54 394 95 476 77 492 93 496 98 623 779 806 New York Alfred A Knopf 2005 Originally published as Joseph und seine Bruder Stockholm Bermann Fischer Verlag 1943 Manfred R Lehmann Abraham s Purchase of Machpelah and Hittite Law Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research volume 129 1953 pages 15 18 nbsp Kraft Robert A Kraft A Note on the Oracle of Rebecca Gen XXV 23 The Journal of Theological Studies volume 13 number 2 1962 pages 318 20 Walter Orenstein and Hertz Frankel Torah and Tradition A Bible Textbook for Jewish Youth Volume I Bereishis pages 52 60 New York Hebrew Publishing Company 1964 Delmore Schwartz Sarah In Selected Poems Summer Knowledge New Directions 1967 nbsp Buber Martin Buber On the Bible Eighteen studies pages 22 43 New York Schocken Books 1968 R David Freedman A New Approach to the Nuzi Sistership Contract Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society volume 2 number 2 1970 pages 77 85 Wolfgang M W Roth The Wooing of Rebekah A Tradition Critical Study of Genesis 24 Catholic Biblical Quarterly volume 34 1972 pages 177 87 R David Freedman Put Your Hand Under My Thigh The Patriarchal Oath Biblical Archaeology Review volume 2 number 2 June 1976 Sean M Warner The Patriarchs and Extra Biblical Sources Journal for the Study of the Old Testament volume 1 number 2 June 1976 pages 50 61 J Maxwell Miller The Patriarchs and Extra Biblical Sources a Response Journal for the Study of the Old Testament volume 1 number 2 June 1976 pages 62 66 Christine Garside Allen Who was Rebekah In Beyond Androcentrism New Essays on Women and Religion Edited by Rita M Gross pages 183 216 Missoula Montana Scholars 1977 John Tracy Luke Abraham and the Iron Age Reflections on the New Patriarchal Studies Journal for the Study of the Old Testament volume 2 number 4 February 1977 pages 35 47 Neḥama Leibowitz Studies in Bereshit Genesis pages 207 56 Jerusalem The World Zionist Organization 1981 Reprinted as New Studies in the Weekly Parasha Lambda Publishers 2010 Walter Brueggemann Genesis Interpretation A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching pages 194 203 Atlanta John Knox Press 1982 Nahum M Sarna Genesis Chapter 23 The Cave of Machpelah Hebrew Studies volume 23 1982 pages 17 21 K T Aitken The Wooing of Rebekah A Study in the Development of a Tradition Journal for the Study of the Old Testament volume 30 1984 pages 3 23 Pinchas H Peli Torah Today A Renewed Encounter with Scripture pages 21 24 Washington D C B nai B rith Books 1987 Marc Gellman Rebekah and the Camel Who Made No Noise In Does God Have a Big Toe Stories About Stories in the Bible pages 53 56 New York HarperCollins 1989 Nahum M Sarna The JPS Torah Commentary Genesis The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation pages 157 77 395 97 Philadelphia Jewish Publication Society 1989 Raymond Westbrook Property and Family in Biblical Law pages 24 35 Sheffield Sheffield Academic Press 1991 Elizabeth Bloch Smith Burials In The Anchor Bible Dictionary Edited by David Noel Freedman volume 1 pages 785 94 New York Doubleday 1992 Aaron Wildavsky Assimilation versus Separation Joseph the Administrator and the Politics of Religion in Biblical Israel pages 6 7 New Brunswick N J Transaction Publishers 1993 Judith S Antonelli Milkah Sarah s Sister In In the Image of God A Feminist Commentary on the Torah pages 48 59 Northvale New Jersey Jason Aronson 1995 Naomi H Rosenblatt and Joshua Horwitz Wrestling With Angels What Genesis Teaches Us About Our Spiritual Identity Sexuality and Personal Relationships pages 204 27 Delacorte Press 1995 Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg The Beginning of Desire Reflections on Genesis pages 123 43 New York Image Books Doubelday 1995 nbsp Plaut Ellen Frankel The Five Books of Miriam A Woman s Commentary on the Torah pages 31 38 New York G P Putnam s Sons 1996 W Gunther Plaut The Haftarah Commentary pages 44 53 New York UAHC Press 1996 Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden Teaching Torah A Treasury of Insights and Activities pages 33 38 Denver A R E Publishing 1997 Susan Freeman Teaching Jewish Virtues Sacred Sources and Arts Activities pages 102 18 165 78 Springfield New Jersey A R E Publishing 1999 Genesis 23 23 24 24 25 53 John S Kselman Genesis In The HarperCollins Bible Commentary Edited by James L Mays page 97 New York HarperCollins Publishers revised edition 2000 Rona Shapiro Woman s Life Woman s Truth In The Women s Torah Commentary New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions Edited by Elyse Goldstein pages 70 74 Woodstock Vermont Jewish Lights Publishing 2000 nbsp Finkelstein Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman Searching for the Patriarchs In The Bible Unearthed Archaeology s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts pages 27 47 New York The Free Press 2001 Lainie Blum Cogan and Judy Weiss Teaching Haftarah Background Insights and Strategies pages 102 09 Denver A R E Publishing 2002 Michael Fishbane The JPS Bible Commentary Haftarot pages 29 34 Philadelphia Jewish Publication Society 2002 Tikva Frymer Kensky The Hand that Rocks the Cradle The Rivka Stories In Reading the Women of the Bible pages 5 23 New York Schocken Books 2002 nbsp Kosman Admiel Kosman The Story of a Giant Story The Winding Way of Og King of Bashan in the Jewish Haggadic Tradition Hebrew Union College Annual volume 73 2002 pages 157 90 Robert Alter The Five Books of Moses A Translation with Commentary pages 113 29 New York W W Norton amp Co 2004 Jon D Levenson Genesis In The Jewish Study Bible Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler pages 47 53 New York Oxford University Press 2004 Lieve M Teugels Bible and Midrash The Story of The Wooing of Rebekah Genesis 24 Leuven Peeters Publishers 2004 Professors on the Parashah Studies on the Weekly Torah Reading Edited by Leib Moscovitz pages 47 53 Jerusalem Urim Publications 2005 W Gunther Plaut The Torah A Modern Commentary Revised Edition Revised edition edited by David E S Stern pages 153 71 New York Union for Reform Judaism 2006 Suzanne A Brody Rebecca s Goodbye In Dancing in the White Spaces The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems page 66 Shelbyville Kentucky Wasteland Press 2007 Terence E Fretheim Abraham Trials of Family and Faith Columbia South Carolina University of South Carolina Press 2007 nbsp Kugel James L Kugel How To Read the Bible A Guide to Scripture Then and Now pages 97 121 133 55 166 400 New York Free Press 2007 The Torah A Women s Commentary Edited by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea L Weiss pages 111 32 New York URJ Press 2008 Rachel Brodie When Gender Varies A Curious Case of Kere and Ketiv Parashat Chayei Sarah Genesis 23 1 25 18 In Torah Queeries Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible Edited by Gregg Drinkwater Joshua Lesser and David Shneer foreword by Judith Plaskow pages 34 37 New York New York University Press 2009 Reuven Hammer Entering Torah Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion pages 29 34 New York Gefen Publishing House 2009 nbsp Sacks Jonathan Sacks Covenant amp Conversation A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible Genesis The Book of Beginnings pages 121 44 New Milford Connecticut Maggid Books 2009 John H Walton Genesis In Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Edited by John H Walton volume 1 pages 99 104 Grand Rapids Michigan Zondervan 2009 Henrietta L Wiley They Save Themselves Alone Faith and Loss in the Stories of Abraham and Job Journal for the Study of the Old Testament volume 34 number 2 December 2009 pages 115 29 Karolien Vermeulen The Song of the Servant Gen 24 23 Vetus Testamentum volume 61 number 3 2011 pages 499 504 Calum Carmichael The Book of Numbers A Critique of Genesis pages 7 19 20 22 37 91 92 99 105 06 109 10 112 13 115 117 18 120 22 124 141 156 162 191 New Haven Yale University Press 2012 William G Dever The Lives of Ordinary People in Ancient Israel When Archaeology and the Bible Intersect page 137 Grand Rapids Michigan William B Eerdmans Publishing Company 2012 nbsp Herzfeld Shmuel Herzfeld The Prohibition of Intermarriage In Fifty Four Pick Up Fifteen Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons pages 24 28 Jerusalem Gefen Publishing House 2012 Jonathan Sacks Lessons in Leadership A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible pages 23 26 New Milford Connecticut Maggid Books 2015 The Hittites Between Tradition and History Biblical Archaeology Review volume 42 number 2 March April 2016 pages 28 40 68 Jean Pierre Isbouts Archaeology of the Bible The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era page 58 Washington D C National Geographic 2016 Jonathan Sacks Essays on Ethics A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible pages 27 31 New Milford Connecticut Maggid Books 2016 Shai Held The Heart of Torah Volume 1 Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion Genesis and Exodus pages 40 48 Philadelphia Jewish Publication Society 2017 Ekaterina E Kozlova Abraham s Burial Genesis 25 9 An Idyllic Burial or a Dispute over Inheritance Journal for the Study of the Old Testament volume 42 number 2 December 2017 pages 139 53 Steven Levy and Sarah Levy The JPS Rashi Discussion Torah Commentary pages 15 17 Philadelphia Jewish Publication Society 2017 nbsp Finck Pekka Pitkanen Ancient Israelite Population Economy Ger Toshav Nakhri and Karat as Settler Colonial Categories Journal for the Study of the Old Testament volume 42 number 2 December 2017 pages 139 53 Jeffrey K Salkin The JPS B nai Mitzvah Torah Commentary pages 21 25 Philadelphia Jewish Publication Society 2017 Bill Dauster Why Did Eliezer Change His Story Washington Jewish Week November 17 2022 page 24 Liana Finck Let There Be Light The Real Story of Her Creation pages 209 35 New York Random House 2022 External links edit nbsp Texts edit Masoretic text and 1917 JPS translation Hear the parashah chanted Hear the parashah read in Hebrew Commentaries edit Academy for Jewish Religion California Academy for Jewish Religion New York Aish com American Jewish University Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies permanent dead link Bar Ilan University Chabad org The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash Jewish Theological Seminary Mechon Hadar Miriam Aflalo MyJewishLearning com Orthodox Union Pardes from Jerusalem Reconstructing Judaism Sephardic Institute Tanach Study Center TheTorah com Torah org Union for Reform Judaism United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism What s Bothering Rashi Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Yeshiva University Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chayei Sarah amp oldid 1220289040, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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